Glee In Neptune
by YouKnowYouLoveMeGleekTVDLoVer
Summary: Rachel Berry moves to Neptune (After S1)but she's not alone, her dads, Shelby & Beth are with her. Shelby now teaches at Neptune High & started a Glee Club. What happens Mr Clemmons makes Logan & Weevil join Glee Club as punishment instead of detention (S1E7). Add a blackmailed Veronica Mars into the mix, oh and Veronica starts seeing her dead bff, Lilly Kane, what's up with that?
1. The Arts Are Empowerment Not Punishment

**~~Chapter 1 – the Arts Is not a Punishment, It's Empowerment**~~

"You got a sec?" Logan asks as he leans against the office door.

"Mr Echolls. What can I do for you?" Vice principle Clemmons asks.

Logan closes the door, shutting it firmly behind him. "Man, I tell you Mr Clemmons, I am pissed off!" Logan grumbles as he heads for the chair in front of Clemmons desk.

"I need for you to use appropriate language in here, Mr Echolls." He scolds Logan as Logan sits and adopts an abashed demeanour. "Now, what's got under your skin?"

"It's, uh, it's that Weevil kid."

"He is no longer a student here."

"Yeah, I know. But the problem is; he's getting all the credit for sticking Mr Daniels car on the flagpole," Clemmons looks up at him in horror but Logan continues. "And all of the sudden, he's like the biggest badass in," Logan notices Mr Clemmons warning look and coughs, "rad dude," he says rolling his eyes, "here at Neptune. I mean, people are gonna be talking about that punking for years."

"I don't think I understand," Clemmons frowns as Logan gives a grin.

"I mean, I want my share of the credit."

"You're confessing to helping Eli Navarro?"Clemmons confirms and Logan smirks, "You can't just get away with this, young man."

Expelling his breath in mock contrition Logan says, "Yeah, I didn't think I could."

Logan pauses then swings first one foot, then the other onto Clemmons desk. He is wearing a pair of black boots with red stars all over them. Clemmons stares at the boots on his desk. It is the same boots that Aaron Echolls had worn and would raise the school thousands of dollars in the auction.

"So, what kind of punishment are we talking about?" Logan asks making no secret of his triumph as Clemmons stares longingly at the boots and then back at Logan. A deal is in the air.

Though it's not the kind Logan had in mind, it's the best he's going to get.

~~VM~~

"No." Both boys state their answer in union.

"It wasn't a question."

"Yeah, well I'm not obliging to your request, question or not," Logan deadpanned.

"I would like to take this opportunity to remind you both that you're getting off easy. Mr Echolls, I'm sure your parents will be proud if you follow in their footsteps."

_Footsteps of a cheater and alcoholic, yeah they'd be real proud. _The thoughts pass Logan's mind.

"I'm pretty sure that they were hoping I'd become an astronaut," he replies not liking Mr Clemmons ideas.

"It's that or suspension for both you and Mr Navarro." The big guy finally throws the ultimatum.

"Hell NO," Weevil growls out.

"There's no need for that kind of language. If you wish to not accept this offer, I can always call your parents and grandmother. They can decide which the best option for you is," Mr Clemmons says knowing that the boys would agree once he brought up the parent card.

"Fine," The boys grumble in agreement, their bitterness is clear in their voices.

"This will go on your permanent record but you're extremely fortunate that you're not being suspended or expelled." He reminds them, hoping this idea doesn't blow up in his face.

"Um, does it-does it go on my-my permanent record that I was un-expelled?" Weevil mockingly asks.

"Don't push your luck, Eli."

"This is a freakin' joke," Weevil grumbles when Mr Clemmons is out of earshot and Logan hates to say it but he agrees.

~~VM~~

"I usually have sweats in my locker. Sorry." Meg says sympathetically.

Veronica gives the angelic blonde a reassuring smile. It wasn't her fault that some 09er bimbo shoved her clothes in the toilet. Meg was actually the hero in this scenario for providing the petite blonde with clothes… even if it's a cheerleading uniform.

"No, this is perfect. I just have to resist the urge to do a cartwheel."

"Why don't you come have lunch with us? You're already dressed for the occasion," Meg suggested and there was a hopeful glint in her light brown eyes.

"Veronica Mars please report to the Principles office," The voice over intercom requests. Catcalls are heard and noises are made but Veronica does a dramatic sigh.

"Oh goody," she sarcastically comments. "Rain check Meg? Uh thanks for the clothes," Veronica says with relief of not having to reject Meg and confusion as to what did she do now?

"What's up Mr. C?" She plops herself onto the seat and grins a little though she's not feeling comfortable with being in the cheerleading uniform.

"It's Mr. Clemmons," he corrects her as he frowns when he looks at her attire. "I wasn't aware that you were on the cheerleading squad."

"L, E, T, S, G, O! Go Tritons!" She cheers brightly. "Who can resist?" She adds sarcastically.

"So I take it you're not on the squad?" He confirms with a somewhat relieved tone.

"No." She deadpans as she internally rolls her eyes.

"Why are you in cheerleading uniform?"

"Did you really call me in here to address me about my attire?" Disbelieve and confusion evident in her voice.

"No but Veronica, if any mishap had happened on school grounds, we will deal with it." The concerned Vice Principal informs the petite blonde.

"Don't worry about it Mr C, I'd just like to go home and change and be back before next period," Veronica replies casually.

"Very well," he lets the issue go, knowing the blonde won't provide any information, "I called you in here to discuss your lack of passion."

"What?"Her eyebrows shoot up in shock at his words.

"Last year you were on the pep squad and participated in various activities."

"So?"

"You're working towards Stanford, am I right?"

"Yeah." She looks at him sceptically not liking where this conversation is heading.

"I'm sure they are looking for school spirit-"

"I am not joining the cheerleading squad!" She shouts wide eyed her face is clearly masked with horror.

"No, it's not the cheerleading squad that I want you to join, there is a new club. It's a glee club."

"Glee club?" Veronica asks incredulously but with relief that she doesn't have to be a cheerleader.

"Yes, it is show choir."

"I know what it is, why do I have to join?"

"You're a really good singer, they need good singers."

"What a sec, are you blackmailing me?"

"No, of course not, I'm merely suggesting that your participation will higher your chances at getting into Stanford and as I see it with all your detentions you've been having, it won't be good on your record."

"Lemme get this straight, you'll clear my detentions if I join Glee club?"

"I was making a suggestion Miss Mars. You can choose to either accept or decline."

Veronica seems unsure for a few minutes, debating in her mind. She has had a lot of detentions. "You have to get me a pass too, there's no way I'm making it back in time for next period now." She finally says, seeming a bit worried about her decision.

"I take that as a yes?" He confirms feeling satisfied.

"If I get tomatoes thrown at me, I'm holding you responsible," She threatens and Mr. Clemmons visible swallows hoping that's not going to happen, and once again hoping that he has made the right decision.

~~VM~~

"So he black mailed you?" Wallace asked shocked. "I can't believe you agreed," he shakes his head.

"He threw Stanford at my face! It's my kryptonite, kind of anyway. I can't not go to Stanford, Wallace!" She looks at him wide eyed.

"Wow. I have got to see this. You singing and dancing, High School Musical Veronica Mars style!" He smirks.

"Um who said anything about me doing anything?" She shakes her head at his ridiculous statement.

"That's the point, right?" He looks at her quizzing.

"No, I just have to be there."

"I don't think that's what he meant."

"Who cares?" Veronica shrugs, "Twenty seconds baby," She says excitedly.

"You're this excited about the super featherweight crown? "

"I know I'm usually so passive. But our bond grows stronger every day, he-who-has-satellite-dish."

~~VM~~

"So you're joining?" Veronica grins.

"I knew working at the admin office would be bad for me somehow," he shakes his head.

"Uh huh," Veronica gives him the 'I-know-you-don't-wanna-be-there-either-but-I'm-so-glad-that-you-are' look.

"She's like _my_ kryptonite," he emphasises his point, reusing her words from before.

"Wow. I have got to see this," She smiles widely as she uses his words against him, "You singing and dancing, High School Musical Wallace Fennel style!" She laughs.

"Yeah well I'm gonna take the lead from a certain tiny blonde and not do anything."

"Hey! I'm not tiny, I'm petite," She defends her weight that's picked on way to much, in her opinion.

"Whatever you say shorty," he mocks.

"Georgia's got you whipped," she smirks again and he ducks his head knowing that she's right.

~~VM~~

"Thank you, Michael. Auditions for Neptune's Glee Club will be held this Friday immediately after school. It's a show choir, where you can dance, sing and act," Meg explains.

"You're quite the actress yourself, aren't you Meg? " Lars inquires.

Meg is flustered and stammers "Uh, um."

The awkward pause continues.

"Uh, weren't you the lead in "Guys and Dolls" last spring?" Lars asks sensing the tension.

Meg laughs with a mixture of embarrassment and relief "Ah, yeah."

"So I take it, you'll be auditioning as well?"

"Why not?" She laughs nervously.

~~VM~~

"Dude! You've never been in like a club," Dick looks at Logan wide eyed at the news of Logan's punishment.

"Really? I wasn't aware of that," Logan says with an irritated expression.

"Dude, this could be like cool you know? Where the cool kid hang out, why didn't tell me sooner? I heard it from Madison, the girls want to join 'cause you're there."

Logan looks agitated and very unhappy that this news is spreading around the school so soon, he thinks that maybe it'd be a good thing if there we're a lot of people in this stupid glee club then he wouldn't need to do any work.

"Dude! I want in. I'm awesome at everything! Chicks dig dancing and singing, it'd be super cool!" Dick exclaims excitedly and Logan thinks maybe it would be to his benefit if Dick was with him.

"Uh I can't dance or sing, I uh yeah..."

"Beav! Don't be such a party popper!" Dick hits his brother on the back as if he wants to toughen him up.

"What am I gonna do at a club that I can't do anything in?" Cassidy raises his eyebrows.

"I dunno but you're coming with," Dick shrugs and then adds, "We're in!" Dick's face fills with happiness thinking of all the hot chicks that would be dancing. "Duncan, dude, are you coming?"

"I'm not really the performing type," Duncan shrugs.

"Come on man don't be a party pooper," Dick tries to encourage his friend but Duncan doesn't seem to be budging.

~~VM~~

"The arts are not a punishment," A brunette woman argues with Clemmons.

"It's not, but in order to get these particular students in, it was a necessary step."

"There are enough pupils wanting to audition, they don't _need_ to be there."

"They are the reason for this many students wanting to attend the glee club. I thought your idea was a good one, it may help these particular students find their way as well. They have been through a though time, I'm hoping that with your help and this club they will find their way, regain their lost passion and dreams."

"Okay," She agrees with a soften face, thinking that maybe this was what Will goes on about maybe having a Glee club wasn't just to win but to help others find their passion.

As she leaves she remembers why she's going through the trouble and the pleading face that begged her to find a possible a way of getting a Glee club.

"_Dad, Daddy, it's not the best educational institution for me if they don't have all the arts department present, it's adequate that they have dramatic and visual arts but the most important of all arts to me is music and the only club that will satisfy my needs and that will help reach my goal of being a Broadway sensation will be if they had a Glee club, it's the only way that they can attend to my acquired need of life. I am like Tinker bell, I need applause to live. I need to be in a glee club therefore I cannot attend Neptune High!" Rachel exclaims all in one breath all while looking wide eyed at the three adults in the room. Begging and pleading with the two that hold the decision of her future education._

_She had tried her very best to reason with her dad and daddy to reconsider moving and her switching schools, she had explained about how it would affect her future, she even made charts but she had lost, she couldn't argue with their decision anymore as they had seen the action firsthand._

_She couldn't lie as they had seen, she doesn't lie to her parents at all and she doesn't usually argue with them either but that would have been an exception. She couldn't argue with their tears so she had reluctantly agreed when she heard the hurt in their voice. She wanted desperately to stay here in Ohio, she finally had friends but she loved her fathers more than anything. _

_She agreed and now lived in Neptune; Ohio wasn't too far away from Neptune. Both states were located in California. She lived with her dad and daddy. Shelby and Beth stayed with them. She finally had a family. She would miss everyone in New Directions but she knew that her dad and daddy had taken their decision with her well being in mind so she couldn't be angry at that. But she could argue her new school. _

_Her new school Neptune High which she will be attending in a week, where Shelby will be teaching, did not have a Glee Club; of course this would cause Rachel to go on a rampage._

"_Honey, Neptune High is the best school in all of Neptune and there is a drama club and they do participate in musicals," Hiram, her daddy had tried to calm her down._

"_And Sweety, not many schools in Neptune have Glee clubs," Leroy, her dad had told her gently._

"_Please, you have to do something," Rachel pleaded at not anyone in particular; just hoping one of the three adults would answer to her plea. _

"_Rachel..."_

"_Please," She begs with big brown puppy dog eyes. "Shelby! You're going to teach at Neptune." Rachel stated looking bright eyed as if an idea had struck her._

"_Yes, I-"_

"_You can speak to the principle to form a Glee club. I can make a presentation! It will be very beneficial to the school and the students. Music is a type of empowerment and it is a language that is a universal language. They will not say no-"_

"_Rachel, Shelby is just starting teaching she can't make demands and changes to the school," Leroy said._

"_But-"_

"_He's right Rachel, I can't," Shelby says and when she sees Rachel's face fall in disappointment she thinks for a moment. "I can make a suggestion and offer to coach the club, but I doubt they will agree."_

"_Thank you!" Rachel's eyes brighten once again. "I can make the presentation today!" Rachel once again starts to go into a speech but the three adults are happy that Rachel's eyes are bright and not sulking away as it did before. _

_They know she must miss her club but they couldn't risk her well being._


	2. Auditions Part 1

**Recap: Logan confessed to helping Weevil stick the English Hitler's car on the flagpole and then bribed Mr Clemmons with his dad's famous boot's to not suspend them- well un-suspend in Weevil's case. But now Logan and Weevil are forced to join Glee Club. Clemmons bribed Veronica to join Glee club by clearing her detention record-which is a lot- so she'll have better chances of getting into her dream school Stanford. Wallace is joining Glee too because his girlfriend Georgia wants him to. Meg's joining too, poor Meg, so much responsibility- Cheerleading squad, News committee, Oh yeah and everyone thought she was a slut because of a purity test, which she didn't take but this is Neptune. Dick wants to join to because he thinks it's cool but he's like the only one, not that he notices. He makes his little bro, Cassidy aka Beaver to join as well. Shelby wants to be Neptune's Will Shuester and wants to help the kids and Rachel, who is the reason for glee club. Also Rachel moved from Lima because her dad's caught Karofsky and Amizon throwing slushies at her when New Directions lost Regional's. Oh yeah, Shelby and Beth stay in Neptune too because Shelby wants to be in Rachel's life. And that's what you missed!**

**~~Chapter two- Auditions~~**

"I was not expecting this," Veronica says as she looks at the amount of people auditioning.

She never thought this new club would be this popular. She remembers the guys used to think that boys in drama club were gay. She wonders why there are so many guys and girls here, it must be worse than drama since majority is singing and dancing, not acting.

The auditorium is filled with people.

"Well this ought to be entertaining," Logan says with surprise when he spots Veronica; he knew there would be many people here but he never expected Veronica Mars.

"Hello everyone, my name is Shelby Corcoran as you know I will be the Glee coach." Veronica does a nod in realization as to why so many guys are here, the Glee coach is hot. "And you know why you're here. I'm assuming you do know what Glee is about since you're here. Let's start with, Logan, Logan Echolls."

Veronica looks up shocked; of all the people she imagined she'd see; Logan had never crossed her mind. _Now it makes sense why so many girls are here._

"Let's not," He responses from his seat, "I didn't choose to be here. Mr. C made us be here."

He really didn't know that he had to audition; _it's punishment for god sake!_

_Ah that makes a lot more sense,_ Veronica thinks, _Logan never liked clubs especially ones that consisted in him doing work._

"I am aware of both yours and Eli's situation. But everyone must audition so I can see your skills. And I know you have some theoretical background or else you wouldn't be here, punishment or not. Since you're not prepared I'll give you and Eli a few days."

"Hey, I'm not here by choice either!" Veronica huffs, hoping to get away with auditioning in front of this many people but curses herself when she realised that she had drawn attention to herself.

"But you were asked to audition, since it's not exactly punishment for you, sorry Veronica," Shelby says shocking Veronica and a few others that the new teacher knows Veronica's name already.

"It's not like I want to be, it might as well be punishment," Veronica mumbles under her breath ignoring her shock.

Whispers are heard but Shelby ignores it and asks, "Shall we get started?" People mutter responses.

"Good," Shelby responses ignoring any negative responds. "Dick Casablancas."

Dick jumps up onto the stage with an embarrassed Cassidy in tow. Dick winks at the new teacher while Cassidy gives a look of apology on he's brother's behalf. Dick does a little wiggle while Cassidy set's the music up. Soon enough Dick turns to the mike and says, "Dudes and dudettes! This is not only the most awesome song in like ever; it is the Casablancas new theme song! Holler!" He practically screams into the mike but none the less people cheer him on, "Hit it!" He signals his brother and the music finally starts. Dick is excitedly shaking his hips to his awesome music choice and Cassidy tries to blend in the background but unfortunately for him his brother had other plans.

"_**Yeah, yeah,**_**" **Dick starts singing and moving with the music.

"_**When I walk on by, girls be looking like damn he fly  
I pimp to the beat, walking down the street in my new la freak, yeah  
This is how I roll, animal print pants out of control  
It's Red Foo with the big afro  
And like Bruce Leroy I got the glow, yo,"**_

Surprising almost everyone Dick sounded pretty darn good. Though Shelby had a bad feeling about letting this blonde haired boy continue his audition, as she was sure the young boy would be performing some inappropriate moves to keep in tone with the song; it was the arts after all, she couldn't exactly punish him for that.

Logan knew his friend wasn't a terrible singer but Dick usually sang when drunk so Logan didn't really count it. _Why am I not surprised at his song choice? And of course he'd declare it his theme song_. But Logan didn't ponder much on his friends hidden abilities; he couldn't get the fact that he had to audition out of his head. _It's not like I want to be here._

"_**Ahhh, Girl look at that body**_**," **Dick sang and with each word he was giving a seductive look to every person he set his eyes on. He gestured to Cassidy to sing as well.  
**  
****"Girl look at that body,"**Cassidy followed his brothers lead but was rather uncomfortable. **  
**_**"Girl look at that body  
I-I-I work out,"**_Both the Casablanca brothers sang and as Cassidy got the beat of the song he felt more at ease though he was still highly embarrassed.

"**When I walk in the spot  
this is what I see  
Everyone stops and they staring at me,"**Cassidy sings while Dick makes the background sounds. Then Dick takes the lead in the chorus, everyone's sure that it's he's favourite verse in the song.

"_**I got a passion in my pants  
and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it  
I'm sexy and I know it,"**_He rips of his pants and does the signature move. Some people are left stunned while others expected it.

_Damn, I am sexy! Check them checkin' me out. This is the most awesome dance ever! Whaaaat! _Dick thought with a smirk, enjoying being the centre of attention.

_Oh my god, I have to actually be in a club with him? I know that the coach wouldn't let him continue his audition unless she thought he would be in the club. Maybe she's one of those fairness teachers that think each student has a right to audition but she would have told him to stop due to his inappropriate attire. Then again I'm pretty sure they would get away with running around naked. Veronica, when are you going to learn? The world hates you. Suck it up. Remember, it's Stanford. Whether Logan Echolls and Dick Casablanca and God knew who else might be there, you can take them. Though you gotta give it to him he sounds a lot better sober than drunk. _This was what Veronica's thought process was when Dick was giving everyone a show. _Yet he still dance's as if he were drunk. I kinda feel sorry for Cassidy._

"**Yo. When I'm at the mall****  
**_**Security just can't fight them off  
**_**When I'm at the beach****,  
**_** I'm in a Speedo trying to tan my cheeks  
**_**This is how I roll,  
**_**Come on ladies it's time to go**_**," **They alternate the lines, with Cassidy beginning and Dick ending the verse.

_I kind of hate this song. Dick never listens to me. Sure anything would fit him. He's the blonde surfer dude but it's just awkward for me, I'm the nerdy shorter guy. Sure it's true for him but it's the opposite for me. I just hope I don't look like a fool even though I feel like one. _Cassidy though as he hoped for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

_Best. Song. Ever. And Beev is actually gettin' the hang of it. _Dick thought with a somewhat proud smirk on his face at himself and his lil bro.

"_**We headed to the bar, baby  
don't be nervous  
No shoes, no shirt, and I still get service,"**_Dick sings solo.

_Why do I have the feeling that if that was actually reality it would still be true,_ Veronica thought as she watched the performance.

_LMFAO are totally 09ers._

"_**(Ahhh)**_**Girl look at that body  
Girl look at that body  
Girl look at that body  
**_**I-I-I work out,**_**"**

Several of the 09er boys saw this as an opportunity decided to join in on the Casablancas theme though Logan was not one of them, he just watched and sighed, it just seemed like another party where they got drunk except there's no beer.

"**When I walk in the spot  
this is what I see  
Everyone stops and they staring at me****  
**_**I got a passion in my pants  
and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it  
I'm sexy and I know it**_**  
****Ayy****  
**_**I'm sexy and I know it  
Check it out, check it out  
**_**Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah  
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah  
Do the wiggle man  
I'm sexy and I know it  
Ayyy yeah,"**

All the self volunteered 09er dancers finally sing, embracing the song.

"**(Ahhh) Girl look at that body  
Girl look at that body  
Girl look at that body  
I-I-I work out  
**_**I'm sexy and I know it!"**_

Dick finishes with an enthusiastic jump; despite his inappropriate attire his performance was energetic and, according to Shelby, he has the ability to express himself in ways not many would have the courage to so he'd make as an asset to her new and improved glee club.

"Up next, Veronica Mars," Shelby calls out.

**~~VM~~Glee~~**

**Song: I'm Sexy And I Know It**

**Artist: LMFAO**


	3. Audition Part 2

**Recap: Shelby started Glee Club for Rachel. Clemmons basically bribed Veronica, Logan and Weevil into joining. Wallace, Georgia, Meg, Dick, Cassidy and a bunch of 09er girls want to join as well-mostly because Logan Echolls, their King is there. Dick auditions with 'I'm Sexy And I know It' by LMFAO and Cassidy performs with him. And Veronica's next. That's what you missed.**

**~~Chapter 3 Auditions Part Two~~**

"Up next, Veronica Mars"

"I'm gonna sing 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter," she announces and looks at Meg when she starts singing.

"**Where was the moment you need it the most?" **

She starts softly as she glances around the crowd and their shock is satisfying for Veronica. It gives her more drive and she enjoys that she catches people of guard.

_Sure, my song choice isn't as enthusiastic and energetic as Dick's was but there's a specific reason for my song choice_. _The point of this song was to make Meg feel better, it's been a bad week for her and obviously she needs cheering up._

_I used to wish that someone would cheer me up again but I don't need it anymore, I can cope. I've learnt how to be strong._

The tearful voice of Logan had passed through her mind.

"_So does your, uh, does your dad still think that Lilly's father did this? That's my girlfriend. Your friend. Duncan's sister. Your dad is destroying the Kane family. What's the matter with you people, huh? What's the matter with you?" _

_Where was the moment to save them?  
_**  
"You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost  
You tell me the blue skies fade to grey  
You tell me your passion's gone away"**

All the passion and happiness is torn down and ripped apart by the sadness, the hurt, the anger; every emotion that you'd never want to feel.

You just lose hope and give up. Veronica does not want that for Meg. She doesn't want the school turning against Meg like they did her.

Veronica learnt how to deal, she found her passion in getting justice and that keeps her going.

"**And I don't need no carryin' on"**

_So maybe I'm not the cheery type of girl, doesn't mean that I don't want to cheer my friends up. Isn't that what this club is for? Glee means happy. _

_Happy club? Weird but it's not like I have a choice._

_It's been so long since I've sung, it's actually quite nice. I'd forgotten how happy we used to be, dancing around and singing silly songs. Maybe that's why I didn't want to be in Glee club; it brings back memories and feelings, memories and feelings that I shouldn't be feeling without Lilly.  
_**  
**She remembers when she quit everything. She just lost her passion, her pep; nothing was left to be cheery for.

Her world had been filled of bad days, she remembers each moment clearly. She wonders whether that's a good thing or not.

She shakes her head as she continues the song,  
**  
"You stand in line just to hit the new low"**

_Veronica and the car stop as Logan pulls out a hipflask.___

Logan's lips curve just a little as he says, "What do you say to a little hootch, huh? What's the matter, aren't you your mother's daughter? Hmm? Now there was a woman who could drink. Hey, what's she up to nowadays, maybe she'll join us. Do you know where she is? Any clue?" 

"_Leave her alone, man." Duncan frowns as he stops his best friend from going any further. _

"_Ooh, chill pill, man. All right. Aw, she used to be fun, man. Bye." __Logan floors it and races off._

She's shocked at how the memories flood her mind. Each word that passes through her lips carries memories of her past.

This was not how it was supposed to go. She was not supposed to remember her bad days; she was supposed to be helping Meg get rid of her bad day.

"**You faking a smile with a coffee you go"  
**_  
Sheriff Lamb settled down opposite Keith and Veronica in the local coffee shop. He smirks, "You know what's coming up October 3rd. Are you doing anything special to mark the one year anniversary of Lilly Kane's murder? Got it. Dress like a Sheriff and crucify some poor, grieving father, just for old time's sake, you know?"_

"_Sacks, we got our order ready?" __Sacks holds up a bag in an affirmative response and Lamb gets up from the table.___

"Good luck with that fugitive, Don," Keith says at the man who had taken his place of Sheriff.

"Smell ya, later." She remarks to Lamb.

Really Veronica? She smiles hiding her emotions._**  
**_**  
"You tell me your life's been way off line  
You fall into pieces every time**  
**And I don't need no carryin' on"  
**_**  
**__"I-I didn't even do anything." Meg sobs helplessly._

"I know." Veronica reassures.

"You believe me?" Meg's voice holds surprise and hope.

"Meg, you're the last good person at this school. I'd believe cartoon birds braided your hair this morning." Veronica smiles. "If you want, I can find who posted that test for you. We'll clear your name and make somebody pay."  
_**  
**__"Really?" Meg's hopeful voice made Veronica feel more determined to set things right.  
__**  
**__"Unless there's a fairy godmother already on it," she quipped and smiled when Meg seemed relieved._

Each word gets stronger, more energy is put into it, she gets more into the song but she doesn't _want_ to.****

"'Cause you have a bad day  
You taking one down"  
_  
"Hey, you okay?" Veronica asks with concern._

Meg glances up at her with a tissue in her hand as she sniffles. "Barely. Boys have been calling my house, emailing me porn, slut sneezing."

"What?" 

_Meg demonstrates by sneezing out the words,__ "Slut, slut._"  
**  
"You sing a sad song just to turn it around  
You say you don't know  
Tell me, don't lie"**

"_Okay, whoever posted those results had to have gotten hold of your password somehow. Here's my very important question. Does anyone else besides you know it?"_

"No, no one. Well maybe my sister Lizzie. I mean, we're very close."

Veronica wills herself to think about her task at hand, about Meg and the case that she will crack._  
_**  
"You work at a smile and you go for a ride"  
**_**  
**__"Wait, if I'm Daphne, what does that make you? Fred?" Veronica tilts her head as she questions Wallace._

"_Oh no. If I gotta be any of those white boys, I gotta be Shaggy all the way baby. Shaggy's got mad flavour."_

"Awwww, you still have a subscription to Mad Magazine. You're all about the flavour."

She thinks about what made her year better, her friendship with Wallace had definitely been a highlight. She doesn't want to think about how her life would be if he wasn't her friend. Well it'd be with a lot less smiles.  
**  
"You had a bad day"**

"_Time for a chat?" Veronica bends down and asks Logan._

"_Well, think if hell froze over, maybe it'd be on the news."_

She remembers when she used to have bad days, when Logan was still her friend. He would happily and very welcomingly speak to her and comfort her.

The old her would never believe that Logan isn't her friend anymore and the new her can't believe that he used to be her friend.  
_**  
**_**"The camera don't lie  
You're coming your back down and you really don't mind"**

_Wallace is already seated at the table when Veronica arrives._

_Wallace gives a small grin and says, "Girl, you should hear what people say about you."_

Veronica frowns. "So then what are you doing sitting here?"

"You sat next to me," he points out.

"This is my table," she counters.

"_And what a fine table it is. What do you suppose this is made of? Oak?"_

"Look, if people are saying such awful things…"

"Well, I figure I've got a choice. I can either hang out with the punks who laughed at me, took pictures of me while I was taped to that flagpole or I can hang out with the chick who cut me down."

She really doesn't mind it that much anymore. She's lucky to have a friend like Wallace, she's happy to have him as a friend and really she'd rather have one friend that sticks with her and that she actually likes that a whole bunch that don't like her and whom she doesn't like.

"**You had a bad day" **

"_What are you talking about, have the right? This-this is what we do. This is how we survive. I was trying to protect you."_

"Protect me? I'm an adult, Veronica!" Keith shouts angrily.

"You… have let her into our life like it's no big deal!"  
_**  
**__"Oh, it's a big deal. It's a huge deal. __It__ makes me feel good about myself, wanted in a way that I haven't in a long time. It makes me wake up with a smile on my face. And we didn't ignore your feelings. We tried to make you feel comfortable but you chose to be snotty."_

She hated that conversation, she hates that she made her dad unhappy. Because of her he lost something that made him happy.

"**You had a bad day"**

"_Mom is still out there somewhere. Do you even care if she ever comes back?"_

"You didn't care until I started dating. You've been hard on your mom for months."

"You can find anybody! If she were a criminal, you'd make a couple grand tracking her down and you'd have her back in a week."

"Well, maybe I don't care to find her. Have you ever considered that?"

She hates fighting with her dad. And she has a lot of bad days.

Her feet taps to the light beat as the rhythm plays.

"**Will you need a blue sky holiday?"**

"_You want some breakfast?" Keith asks softly._

"No thanks, I'm just going to grab an apple."

_Keith is staring at something on the counter behind Veronica. She turns and looks behind her. It is a file marked with Troy's name. She picks it up.___

"That's for you. It's everything you may or may not want to know about Troy. You can open it, you can throw it out. It's your choice."  
_**  
**_But she loves that no matter what her dad will always be there for her. And even if she has a lot of bad days, there are some moments that aren't that bad. She'll endure those moments and she'll fight as long as she has to. She won't give up and let them win.

"**The point is they laugh at what you say"**__

"Um-hum"  
_**  
**__"Congratulations, you're my volunteer. Pope. An Essay on Man. Epistle I."_

"_Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blest: The soul, uneasy and confined from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come."  
__**  
**__"And what do you suppose Pope meant by that?"  
__**  
**__"Life's a bitch until you die."_

_The other students giggle._  
**  
"And I don't need no carryin' on"**

She belts out the line, in a way it emphasises her independence and she likes that.  
**  
"'Cause you have a bad day  
You taking one down"**

"_Why is Duncan pretending I no longer exist?" Veronica frowns as she questions her best friend._

Lilly's eyes lift up and she shrugs. "Umm... because he's a freak. I don't know. I'm his sister, not his shrink."  
_**  
**__"It's like he's broken up with me but hasn't gotten around to telling me yet."  
__**  
**__"He has been weird the past few days. Maybe his right hand finally said no."  
__**  
**__"Can you not see I'm really upset about this?"  
__**  
**__ "God, Veronica, please! Will you stop, okay? He's going through like a phase or something. You two are meant for each other. He's not that stupid." Liily gives into Veronica's look. __"__Fine. I'll talk to him."  
__**  
**__"Thank you."  
__**  
**__"You know, I don't know what you people would do without me."_

You could say that was the starting of her bad days, more precisely it was when the bad days started to show and tear her image of perfection. Everything was better when Lilly was here, Lilly made everything better. _****_

**"You sing a sad song just to turn it around  
You say don't know  
Tell me, don't lie"**_**  
**__  
"Yesterday you said we were made for each other."_

"I don't-I really, I don't want to be in the middle of this." _Lilly uncomfortably laughs.___

"What is 'this'?"

"I just think that maybe you should just move on."

"What!"

"I can think of a half dozen guys off the top of my head that would be a better match for you than Duncan."

"What did he say to you? Did I do something?"

"No, it's not you. It's just... I-he needs some time alone for a while." 

"_Would you stop walking? What is so horrible that you can't tell me?"_

"Can you trust me? It's for the best, Veronica. I know that it doesn't seem like it right now, but it is! You deserve better." 

But Lilly really couldn't make everything better. It just got worse. Tears prick in her eyes because of her thoughts of Lilly but she blinks them away, she conceals her emotions and she doubts people noticed it maybe Wallace and perhaps Meg but no one else. Her eyes drift to Logan and there's a small voice in her head that calls _and maybe Logan._****

"You work at a smile and you go for a ride"  
_  
"What are you doing back here? I saw the light," her father asked as he came toward the office desk._

"I forgot a few of my books," Veronica let the excuse slip out.

And Keith let the excuse slid. "It's up and at 'em, Atom Ant, come on. It's family fun night. I called out to Mama Leone's, I rented 'The South Park Movie'."

"My favourite," she smiled softly.

"Hey, who's your Daddy?"

_"__You are. Uh, I have to make a stop, so… meet you at home?"_

"Okay. But hurry up. I worry about you."

_"__Yeah, you do."  
__  
__Okay, so he lied to me. But I've got to believe he has his reasons. He's probably trying to protect me. That's what dads do.____  
_**  
"You had a bad day"**

The memories of the choices she made are engraved on her, she'd never forget her choices but she doesn't regret it now.  
_  
Logan smashes the LeBaron's headlight with the crowbar._

Duncan with another girl at the party.  
_  
Duncan ignores her as she passes. She looks back at him._

"**The camera don't lie  
You're coming back down and you really don't mind"**_**  
**__  
"You didn't make it Saturday night," Troy says._

"_I-I guess I didn't feel I was even a little bit wrong or sorry," Veronica answers._

"**You had a bad day" **__

Veronica can see Duncan is sitting in the entrance, rocking back and forth. She gets out of the car and runs to him. 

_Kneeling before him she asks, __"What happened? Duncan, what happened?"_

_He is completely unresponsive. She looks around and then back at Duncan,__ "Where's Lilly?"_

_Duncan reacts by furrowing his brow. __"Duncan, talk to me, please." __Veronica gives up with Duncan and runs outside._

"**You have a bad day"**__

Keith is crouched down by Lilly's body. _Veronica appears and stops suddenly behind Keith and she is distressed to see Lilly._

_"Oh my god!"_

_Veronica is shocked. Keith rises and grabs her in a hug._ _Keith simultaneously holds her and forces her back._

She tries her hardest to send her tears away so she turns around spinning and belts out the line, she closes her eyes and while turning away she leans back and sucks in air and prepares to drag the next part out putting her hands up and pushes her hair away from her face but really checking if her tears had fallen, she's relieved when she feels it dry.

"**Ooooh... a holiday..."**

It surprises her at how powerful her voice sounded and she's glad that it blocked out her tears

_"Keith Mars."_

"Hi, Sir. Wallace Fennel."

"_Wallace is a friend of mine," Veronica boasts. "Take that, high school guidance counsellor." She says and performs karate chop gesture._

It's moments like those that give Veronica a break. She really was proud that she'd found a genuine friend.

"**Sometimes the system goes to the blink  
You might not make it back and you know"**

"_Yeah it is. The hero is the one that stays and the villain is the one that splits."  
__**  
**__ "I don't think that's a healthy perspective."  
__**  
**__"It's healthier than me pining away everyday praying she'll come home."_

"**That you could be a well oh that strong  
And I'm not wrong" **

"_You stole the diary!" Veronica accused Sarah's work friend._

"What?" He looked at Veronica like she was crazy but her father used to be Sherriff, she picked up n a few tricks like how to tell if someone is lying.

"How did that work? She was sleeping at your house that stormy night and… there it was, just poking out of her bag. You couldn't resist. You had to find out if she had a thing for you, too."

"You realize you're paranoid."

"I do. Everyone reminds me. But it doesn't mean I'm not right. I want the journal, it's gonna help me find her."

"I told you. I don't have it."

"Hmm. Looks like we're in a bit of a standstill."

"Looks that way."

"Excuse me?"

She drags out the 'wrong' and it feels nice. She's almost never wrong sometimes she wonders if that's better or worse.

"**Yeah yeah  
So where was the passion when you need it the most?  
Oh you and I  
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost"**

"_Hey, Veronica Mars." Logan says as he lays on her car hood, twirling a crowbar in his hand. "Do you know what your little joke cost me?"_

"Well, I'm pretty sure you won't be getting your bong back," she quipped as she stood with her arms folded.

_Logan swings the crowbar and takes out a headlight. Veronica flinches. Logan grins and twirls the crowbar.__  
__**  
**__"Wrong answer, would you care to guess again?"_

"_Clearly your sense of humour," she retorted, despite his aggressive behaviour, she was not scared of him._

_Logan takes out the other headlight.__ "Nope. You're usually so good at pop quizzes. No, the correct answer is my car. That's right. My Daddy took my T-Bird away. And you know what I won't be having. Fun, fun, fun."_

_~`~`  
"You, say you're sorry."_

"Rub a lamp." _Logan winks and smirks. Weevil punches him in the stomach. Logan goes down. Veronica looks uncomfortable._

"_I said, say you're sorry."_

_Logan gets back up and faces Weevil again.__ "Kiss my ass."_

_Weevil throws a punch to Logan's face. He goes down again. Weevil laughs. Logan gets up, blood coming from his nose. He remains defiant and is not going to apologise.___

"Now…"

"Let him go." Veronica stopped Weevil from his attacks.

"_Are you sure? I could do this for a while."  
__**  
**__"I don't want his apology."_

She looks at Logan and he stares at her, his face is conflicting. Veronica wants to just look at him and see his reaction but she moves along and continues the song.  
**  
"'Cause you have a bad day  
You taking one down"**_**  
**__  
"Mom? Mom?" __Veronica pulls up and races out of the car towards the blonde woman.__ "Mom!"_

"_Can I help you?" When the lady turns around Veronica realises that it is not her mother._

"I'm looking for Lianne Mars."  
_**  
**__"Veronica? I'm Adrianna." She smiles politely. "A college friend of your mom's. I feel like I know you. Your mother talks about you all the time."_

"Where is she?"

"She left a couple of weeks ago."_  
_**  
"You sing a sad song just to turn it around  
You say don't know  
Tell me, don't lie"**

_Veronica can feel the tears swell but was adamant on not crying. "Well, did she say where she was going?"_

"No," her voice was apologetic but Veronica didn't buy it.

"Don't lie to me. I need to know, where is she?" Her voice cracked on her unshed tears.

"She thought your father might come looking for her and she knows I'm no good at keeping secrets."  
_**  
**__"Doesn't she care about me?" Her voice sounded like a lost child but there were no tears. She willed herself to not cry in front of a stranger._

"You're all she cares about," her mother's friend said gently._****_

_Veronica's mask was placed back and her voice was hard when she said, "Mark me down as sceptical."_****

"You working a smile and you go for a ride"

_"Dude, where's your car?" Veronica quipped with a light grin. Troy wasn't amused and frowned while he shook his head. "Sorry," she refrained from making more quips on her boyfriend's lost car. When Troy headed for her car, Veronica took notice of Logan and Luke. "Ah, your monkey's gonna have to ride in the back," she snarked as she looked at Logan.  
__**  
**__Logan's eyes trailed on hers with a smirk playing on his face when he retorted, "Ha-ha. Nice car. God, it must have been a huge cereal box."  
_**  
"You had a bad day  
You've seen what you like"**_  
__**  
**__"Thanks for the ride. Does this mean you're gonna play nice now?" Logan asked with his infamous grin.  
__**  
**__"Walk in front of the car, we'll see." Veronica grinned and when Logan had to pass the front of her car to get to his house, she made a grunting sound with the engine and let a light laugh escape her lips.__  
__**  
**_**"And how does it feel one more time?"  
**  
At the thoughts of Logan she glances in his direction and is shocked at the image of another person smiling at her.

_It can't be, _Veronica looks in disbelieve but quickly realizes that no one else seems to see her blonde haired dead best friend looking down at her.

_Lilly; she looks so real and she's not fading away. She's just watching me. _Veronica succeeds in remaining calm as her thoughts drift to the last words that Lilly said to her at the carwash.

"_I got a secret. A good one."_

"**You had a bad day"**

_The party is in crowed with people and surrounded with couples making out and drinking as Veronica threads her way through the crowd.__Veronica is being snubbed by one and all. As Logan does shots at the bar, he turns and looks at her but she carries on. When she passes Duncan an expression of disgust clearly marks her face and he sees it._

_As she pushes through the crowd, a drink suddenly appears in her hand.__She glances around and then drinks, trying to wash away the disgust and hurt she feels._

Some time later Veronica is outside, stumbling because of her blurry vision. She finally collapses onto a sun lounger as he so-called friends in the Jacuzzi laugh at her. 

"**You have a bad day"**__

Veronica finally opens her eyes and realizes she's on a bed, partially covered by the bedding. She is still wearing her white party dress but her panties are on the floor. As realisation of the previous night creeps into her mind she cries silently in disbelief, disgust and hurt. She then stands up and wipes her tears.

She limps barefoot down the street, with her underwear in hand walking away from the world that had killed her inside. __

**"You have a bad day"**  
_  
Sheriff Lamb is at his desk and Veronica sits on the other side.___

"Is there anyone in particular you'd like me to arrest or should I just round up the sons of the most important families in town?"

_Veronica can't believe his response.___

"I've got not a shred of evidence to work with here but that really doesn't matter to your family, now does it."

_Veronica can't hold back a tear at his words.___

"Ummm...look at this. She cries," _Lamb leans back in his chair.___

"I'll tell you what Veronica Mars, why don't you go see the wizard. Ask for a little back bone."

**"You have a bad day"**

She finishes the song, barely able to contain her emotions but she's Veronica Mars, she keeps it in check and she thanks god for her ability to keep a straight face. She glances back at where she had spotted her blonde best friend but she was met with a sight of big brown concerned pair of eyes that belonged to one Logan Echolls. Veronica would have normally enjoyed the astonished looks on everyone's faces but she just wasn't able to bask in the satisfaction. Everyone roared with cheer but she felt worse than when she'd started singing, she just hopes that Meg feels better. She can't keep the image of Lilly smiling down at her out of her mind.

_Was it just my imagination again?____She seemed so much more real than usual._

"That was great Veronica," Shelby says trying to break the petite blonde's attention. Veronica realizes that she's been just standing there so she nods and goes back to her seat next to Wallace, the only best friend that's alive.

**~~VM~~Glee~~**

**Song: Bad Day**

**Artist: Daniel Powter**


	4. Audition Part 3

**Recap: Shelby started Glee Club for Rachel. Clemmons basically bribed Veronica, Logan and Weevil into joining. Wallace, Georgia, Meg, Dick, Cassidy and a bunch of 09er girls want to join as well. Dick auditions with 'I'm Sexy And I know It' by LMFAO and Cassidy performs with him. Veronica performed 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter but it's really more of a bad year for her. She's also trying to help Meg find out who took the purity test and faked her score. Oh yeah and she thinks she saw Lilly's ghost but blames her imagination. That's what you missed.**

**~~Chapter 4: Auditions Part Three~~**

"Next up is Meg Manning."

Veronica cheers Meg as she takes the stage, pushing away all her thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I'll be auditioning with Taylor's Swift song, Mean."

The music starts up and Meg looks at Veronica giving her a small smile, to which Veronica gives thumbs up in encouragement. But Veronica can't help but think, _Taylor Swift? Seriously Meg?_

"**You, with your words like knives,  
And swords and weapons that you use against me." **

Meg sings as she pointedly stares at all her so called friends.

_Each jab that is made against me hurts so bad that I just want to curl up in a ball and cry but of course Veronica wouldn't let me do that._

_Was this how Veronica felt at first? When she was like me? Of course now she's stronger and braver but she wasn't always this way, was she? Everything that Veronica has been through has made her stronger yet everything that goes bad in my life makes me weaker. No more. Meg Manning it's time to toughen up._

"**You, knock me off my feet again,  
Got me feeling like a nothing."**

Meg hears the whispers her so-called friends make. She ignores them and continues singing.

"**You, with your voice like nails  
On a chalk board, calling me out when I'm wounded  
You, picking on the weaker man,"**

She aims this directly at the 09er girls. _Honestly, they do screech and it's terribly loud. If we wanted your voice to be loud, you woulda gotten a mike. I'm a cheerleader but I do not screech!_

_You got one thing right Taylor Swift, I wonder if it's the words that were meant to hurt or if it's their voice. _Veronica wonders to herself.

"**You can take me down  
With just one single blow  
But you don't know what you don't know,"**

The scene of Cole breaking up with her flashes through her mind.

"_I knew when you came back from Spain last summer, there was something different about you. Should have guessed you slept with that Hobby Air guy. You couldn't shut up about him." _

"_He was our tour guide." _

"_Oh. Was sex included in the package or was that extra?" _

"_I did not have sex with him. I haven't had sex with anybody. This is crazy; I didn't even take the test." _

_Cole reads the page, "__Have you ever slept with someone who spoke a language you didn't know? Have you ever had a fling while on vacation? Do you lie to protect your reputation? It all makes sense, every question here. You turned me into a joke. Thanks__."_

How had she ended up with such a douche of a boyfriend? If he loved her, he would have trusted her. Instead he humiliated her and refused to believe her.

Maybe she would be better off without him.

"**Someday I'll be living in a big old city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean,"**

Meg smiles at that, sure probably all of the 09ers would never have to worry about money but money only takes a person so far. They won't be happy. Meg honestly believes that being nice to people brings more happiness than being mean. If only people tried being nice every once in a while, they'd be a whole lot happier.

"**Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?"**

Meg gets into the song and sways back and forth.

Veronica is proud of Meg for ignoring all the harsh whispers, she knows that Meg hears it but she's glad that Meg is stronger than them.

"**You, with your switching sides  
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation,"**

Veronica's thoughts suddenly fly to Logan and how he'd gone from one of her best friends to her enemy in an instant. _All the lies and humiliation, what was the point of it, Logan? Was it because you just hated me that much? But why? Why hate me? What had I done? God Veronica, how many times have you thought about that? Every time I see his face spit balling insults at me. And how many times has it been answered? Not once. So stop asking. And why do you care if Logan hates you or not? Arg! Stop thinking about him! I command you!_

Logan can't help himself he glances at Veronica, he's surprised at her expression she looks frustrated but only if you look closely would you notice. Suddenly she's glaring at him and he's a bit confused but then thinks, _well what has she not blamed me for? She's obviously blaming me for whatever's gotten her annoyed_. Then he smile's to himself; he likes the idea of Veronica thinking of him, especially the idea of Veronica thinking about him and unable to figure him out.

To Meg, the song could not be more right. Everyone, except Veronica turned on her. Someone had spread lies about her. Someone wanted to humiliate her. That someone had been successful but not anymore.

"**You have pointed out my flaws again  
As if I don't already see them,  
I walk with my head down,  
Try to block you out 'cause I never impress you  
I just want to feel okay again"**

Meg just wants the whole thing to be over. This verse perfectly summed up her week. But Meg was lucky to have Veronica. Veronica who helped pick her head up, who picked up the lies in their insults, who reassured her that everything will be okay, who's working on catching the person who caused all this.

"**I bet you got pushed around  
Somebody made you cold but the cycle ends right now  
'Cause you can't lead me down that road  
And you don't know what you don't know"**

_Had someone made Logan cold? _Veronica's thoughts get more and more confused. _The song actually makes sense. If anyone had asked me a year ago I would have never described Logan as cold but now... No, I wouldn't use the word cold because I'm sure Logan would never physically harm me but somewhere along the lines. And here's where Meg and I differ, I went down that road and it's not pretty but at least now I see the truth of the world. _

_Did I make Veronica cold? Well I wouldn't say cold exactly but somewhere along the lines. I guess my father made me 'cold' but the 'Fab4' always made me 'warm' well they made me not go down that road but then everything happened and I did go down and I think I dragged Veronica down with me._

"**Someday I'll be living in a big old city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean"**

Meg swayed with the music and gained e=strength with each word.

"**Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?"**

She said the last line as if she were asking a question and not singing.

"**And I can see you years from now in a bar"**

Her voice got louder as she sang.

Veronica's thoughts once again drifted to Logan, would she see him years from now? Did she want to?

"**Talking over a football game  
With that same big loud opinion  
But nobody's listening, washed up and ranting  
About the same old bitter things"**

As Meg listed the things, she heard whispers and wanted to bolt from centre stage but she just looked ahead and pictured the words of the song in her head.  
**  
"Drunk and rumbling on about how I can't sing"**

Meg's voice was raspy as she sang the line, trying to sound drunk.  
**  
"But all you are is mean  
All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic  
And alone in life and mean, and mean, and mean, and mean"**

She sang as if she were a prosecutor that found them guilty of all that she'd listed.

"**But someday I'll be living in a big old city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Yeah someday I'll be big enough  
So you can't hurt me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so (mean)  
Someday I'll be living in a big old city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?"**

Meg ended the song, and to her surprised many of them applauded her, only the ones who actually harassed her looked away guiltily.

Veronica was truly proud of Meg, she stood up and clapped loudly for her friend.

**~~VM~~Glee~~**

**Song: Mean  
Artist: Taylor Swift**


	5. Embracing Talents

**Recap: Shelby started Glee Club for Rachel. Clemmons basically bribed Veronica, Logan and Weevil into joining. Wallace, Georgia, Meg, Dick, Cassidy and a bunch of 09er girls want to join as well. Dick auditions with 'I'm Sexy And I know It' and Cassidy performs with him. Veronica performed 'Bad Day'. Logan feels guilty when he sees the emotion she shows. She's also trying to help Meg find out who took the purity test and faked her score. Oh yeah and she thinks she saw Lilly's ghost but blames her imagination. ** **Meg auditions with 'Mean' because everyone's turned against her, except Veronica. Logan realises his mistakes during the song and feels guilty and Veronica thinks someone made Logan 'cold'. That's what you missed.**

**~~Chapter 5: Embrace Talents~~**

"Glee Club? Seriously?" Mac's voice echoes with disbelieve through the cell phone.

"I feel like I'm in a High School Musical version of The OC," Veronica replies shuddering a bit in remembrance of the auditions.

"I thank the Gods that I'm not in Glee Club," She says gratefully but wishing she'd been there at the auditions to witness Dick making a ridicule of himself and Veronica singing as she can't quiet picture the scene.

"Glee Club?" Mac's mom repeats in a surprised voice. Mac stiffens up at her mother's voice; she curses herself for jinxing her good fortune as she knows that her mother will stop at nothing to get her in that darn glee club.

"Uh Veronica, I gotta go," Mac hurried replies hoping she can get herself out of this mess and makes a note to never speak on the phone when her mother is around.

"Uh okay, later Mac," Veronica says, confused at Mac's sudden change of tone.

Unfortunately for Mac, she was correct in her prediction of her mother's attitude towards this new club. Her mother immediately started questioning her and she had regretted telling her mother the truth but she doesn't lie to her parents, like ever.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" But she does disagree with them, like always.

"Cindy, you should always embrace opportunities that open themselves to you. It will be a great way to make new friends-"

Mac immediately corrects her mother in hope to save her from living in what Veronica described as the 'High School Musical version of the OC' and Mac is not a fan of either. "I made a new friend just recently, Veronica."

"Yes, that's wonderful dear but high school is all about the friends you make."

"I thought it was for learning," Mac mumbled but loud enough for her mother to hear her. Most people would think that she was being disrespectful but in her house, her family saw it as freedom of opinion and as long as what you say doesn't hurt another, your opinion was most welcome.

"Not only learning about computers but about life, friends are there to help you," Her mother encouraged; _always the socialist_, Mac thought.

"And I have friends," She stated.

"It's important to try new things. You should give it a try, it could be fun."

"I have enough fun."

"It would look great on applications."

"If I'm applying to Julliard," She retorted.

"You might want to when you try it," her mother tried to persuade her.

"I honestly doubt that."

"Honey, I understand that you love computers but it's better to have a diverse lifestyle. You have a wonderful life, you should embrace it."

"NO." Mac voiced her refusal out loud hoping that her mother would just let it go.

"It's either the club or no new laptop or any other computing gadgets in the near future," Her mother finally declares, knowing that Mac had wanted a new gadget, she wasn't exactly sure what but she does know that there was a discussion about it.

"That's not fair!" Mac looks at her mother in shock and disbelieve that she would actually blackmail her.

"It's your choice."

"Fine," Mac reluctantly agrees as she knows that if her mother was willing to blackmail her, she would probably do anything and her father would be brought into the discussion. It would get pretty ugly but the outcome would still result in her going to glee club.

~~Berry Residence~~

"Shelby, I need a male lead!" Rachel exclaimed with irritation.

Shelby sighed, "I know Rachel, you've heard them all. You still feel that none of them are capable." Though she agreed with Rachel, there were fine candidates but none were lead material.

"Yes I have heard them, while I agree some have potential and voices that are sufficient, I need more. A male lead that-"

"Is Finn Hudson or a Noah Puckerman?"

"Well... Yes," she sighed defeatedly.

"I'm sorry Rachel but you can't look for someone in somebody else."

"I'm not doing that particularly, I just need a male lead."

"You should consider allowing yourself to listen to their voices-"

"I am appalled that you would think that I have done otherwise! I have analysed each and every candidate, none of them have greater talent than me or match up to the criteria."

"I know Rachel but that's not what Glee is about, is it? They just need to have potential which many of them do have."

"Shelby, you of all people should understand my means-"

"Rachel, I do understand, you want to win. I'm looking for more than winning, and you did too I don't want you to lose sight of that."

"I didn't lose it, another Glee club just captured it and it won't return," the petite brunette grumbled.

"Rachel-"

"Look, these are good candidates but I need a male lead." _Straight to the point as always, _Shelby thought.

"Although there were so many people in the audience and on the signup sheet, not everyone auditioned."

"I know that. You need to find one; talent doesn't just come up and knock on your door. Take Finn for example, he did not willingly come to auditions but when Mr Shue found him and convinced him to be a part of glee club, he became my leading man and six other voices followed him."

"Rachel, Mr Shue blackmailed Finn into joining," Shelby says and Rachel frowns. "There are still candidates left for auditions and people are free to join if they actually have some working talent."

"Do you think my lead man will be found?"

"I think you should stop looking for him and maybe he just might be come knocking on the door."

Rachel doesn't look convinced but she doesn't push the matter.

~~Rachel's Room: Rachel's point of view~~

_Dear Diary_

_As much as I love all of God's creations, I hate Neptune. Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted to get out of Lima but I only wanted to leave Lima to get into New York and live my Broadway dream. _

_My departure from Lima was much like how I pictured my funeral. _

_Have you ever fantasied about your funeral? I have. Finn throwing himself into the grave out of grief and there being heartfelt speeches and the regrets. It may sound insane but it's because I felt that no one in the glee club appreciated me, so was it so wrong to fantasise about them finally realising how amazing I am but it being too late?_

_Hoping onto the plane was much like being lowered into the grave. _

_But I'm really glad that I didn't have to for them to finally appreciate me, but I would much rather be in Lima with them then here, even though I'd get a daily slushy facial._

_It had taken an entire year to build that family and when we finally came together, I had to leave? How was that fair?_

_But I survived. I enjoyed my last summer with my fellow glee clubbers and finally got accepted. I often wondered whether they truly accepted me or if it was because I was leaving nevertheless I had gotten what I wanted but I regretted not being there to enjoy it._

_But what I regret the most is not having any more time with Finn. He said he loved me, you know? It's something that I've wanted to hear him say for the entire year. We had a brief summer romance– much like Sandy and Danny from Greese alas I had to move to Neptune and he was stuck in Lima._

_Brooding over my former life isn't going to help much. But I wish Finn were here and then I wouldn't have to find a new male lead! He is the Tony to my Maria, how in the world am I supposed to find someone better than him?_

_They have already found a replacement Rachel, her name is Sunshine. Yeah, Sunshine, like really? Quinn says that I'm way better and while I believe that I can't help but resent her a little bit. It's pleasing to note that everybody misses me and apparently likes me more than Sunshine. Mercedes in particular, apparently Sunshine has more of Mercedes style than mine. Though I feel bad for Mercedes, I am happy that Sunshine's not an exact replacement. That would be utterly horrible. _

_It's also pleasing to note that Finn is still single, I haven't really spoken to him since I got on the plane to Neptune but I still think about him and I like to think that he still think about me too, I mean he did say he loved me, right?_

_I better get some sleep; tomorrow's my first day at Neptune High._

_XOXO Rachel*_


	6. Friends

**Parts Not Shown but happened: Wallace sang 'Don't Wanna Go Home' by Jason Derulo for his audition. Georgia sang 'One Step At A Time' by Jordan Sparks for her audition. Madison, Carrie and Susan sang 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls. Mac auditions with 'Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry. **

**Recap: Veronica met a new friend Cindy McKenzie who goes by Mac and is a computer genius. She helped Veronica solve the case of 'Who Faked The Purity Test', which was Pam and Kimmy. Pam posted it for Veronica because she hates her since, Veronica's ex, Duncan Kane, is still hung up on her even though he's dating Pam. Kimmy posted Meg's because she's jealous of everything that Meg has.****Over a phone call to Veronica, Mac's mother hears that there's a glee club and now Mac's forced to join too.****Oh and Rachel still wants a male lead but no-one's up to Rachel Berry's standards yet. Shelby admits to wanting more than winning and Rachel just wants to win. Oh yeah and Rachel's still hung up on her ex, Finn. ****That's what you missed.**

**~~Chapter 6: Friends~~**

A smile graced Wallace's face as he stood behind the administrative table and greeted, "Hey, can I help you?"

Rachel's pearly while teeth shone when she returned his smile with much more alacrity, "Hello and yes you can, my name is Rachel Berry and I am a new student here at Neptune High. I would like to get my class schedule, could you please get it for me?"

Wallace wanted to laugh at her rapidness but kept his smile. "Sure, are you freshmen?" He questioned.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm junior. I transferred from William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio."

Wallace was surprised that she had come from so far away. "Okay, that's cool. I'll get you your schedule," Wallace smiled at the petite brunette that looks ready to fight a war with a smile on her face. "Here you go." He handed her the schedule.

"Thank you!" She chirped. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"Wallace, Wallace Fennel." He laughed as her eyes sparkled. He wondered if she was always this peppy.

"Okay, thank you Wallace, it was a pleasure meeting you."

"Hey, are you related to the new teacher? 'Cause if you were older I'd swear you were twins."

Rachel sighed but her smile was still present as she answered, "Yes, well she's my biological mother, I was hoping to keep it a secret but the obvious similarities make it somewhat impossible."

"Yeah, I get it." He nodded in understanding.

"Well I shall be seeing you Wallace Fennel." She gave him a small wave as she turned around to head to her next class.

"You too, Rachel Berry," He laughed as she walked away. There was something about this new girl, he didn't know what but it interested him.

~~Lunch Quad~~

"Seriously Veronica, maybe your dad told you to stay away from the cult for a reason," Wallace warned his BFF. Sure, he found it cool that she played Batman and he played Robin but there was a limit though Veronica didn't seem to think so.

"I already said that I would go, what kind of girl would I be if I broke a promise?" Veronica pouted with a face of innocence.

"A girl that listens to their father," Wallace countered with Veronica continued to pout. "And remember we have glee after school tomorrow," he reminded her. He was sure that she'd use every possible excuse to not attend glee club but despite her protests he found it cool that they were a part of something together, and he didn't think singing and dancing were that bad but he got why Veronica didn't like it. She was more cynical about the world and music was an emotional form of expression. Veronica didn't do emotional often.

"How could I forget, Weevil wants me to help him." Wallace lifted an eyebrow at her but she ignored his look. "Oh yeah and thanks for the heads up on them being there," she shook her head as she thought of Logan being a part of the stupid club as well. There was a side of her that was pleased that he could suffer the same torture as her but the other part dreaded the extra amount of time they would spend together.

"I forgot," He shrugged and spotted a familiar face looking for a seat, "Do you mind a new friend?"

Veronica followed Wallace's line of sight, "I wouldn't but Georgia would."

"Come on V, she's new I just wanna help her out."

"Sure, and since when has this Wallace 'make a new friend a day' evolved?" She teased with a light grin.

"He was always there but this Veronica 'I don't like people' kept him away from people," he playfully countered.

"Wallace, have you really not been friends with people because of me?" Veronica's face softened and her voice carries a touched feeling.

"No, it was my own choice. Veronica I can't be friends with people that talk bad about you," He said sincerely then tried a joke, "it's not you, it's just their uh character you know." Veronica smiled at Wallace's caring nature. She was so glad that she didn't ditch on the first day because cutting him down from that flagpole was the best decision she ever made. In a weird twisted way she should thank Weevil, after all if Weevil hadn't put Wallace on the flagpole, she probably wouldn't have a BFF today. But she wasn't going to admit that to anyone.

"Yeah, you're the best Wallace." And she honestly meant it. She had never met a person that was a better human being than Wallace was.

"Don't ya forget it."

"Your new friend's getting away," Veronica commented, in her way giving Wallace the okay to call her over.

"Hey Rachel!" Wallace called out and the petite brunette spun around and spotted the two teens and smiled, Wallace made an 'over here' gesture and she headed toward them.

"Veronica, this is Rachel Berry, Rachel this is Veronica Mars," Wallace introduced. Veronica smiled and nodded in acknowledgement but Rachel lifted her hand, Veronica obliged and shook it.

"Hello, you're in Glee, aren't you?" Rachel asked when she recognised the blonde.

"Uh yeah," Veronica replied a bit unsure of where Rachel was headed.

"That's great! You have a really great voice; though not as talented as mine but it's impressive. It held many emotions which is why I liked it. Oh and Wallace, you were there as well; your performance of 'Don't Wanna Go Home' was really good, you'd make a great dancer." Rachel smiled brightly hoping that her complements would win her bonus points but it was the truth so Rachel doesn't feel like she's lying. Rachel Berry is anything but a liar.

"You're in glee too? I didn't see you perform," Wallace said, letting Veronica get over the shock and he hoped that he hadn't made the wrong judgement with Rachel. What made him think that she would be a great friend was her determined expression, one that reminded him of Veronica. Well, she was a much louder and chirper and talked much more than Veronica but the both had that feel of determination and fierce expression.

"Well, I will be performing a lot as it has been my passion since I was born. I am going to be a Broadway star. As to the reason why I haven't auditioned is because, Ms Corcoran already knows my talent and the reason for auditions were for her to get to know the capability of the student."

"You want to be a Broadway star?" Veronica asked somewhat dazed.

"Yes, all my life I have dedicated myself to that very goal. It is what keeps me going every day, at my previous school I was the female lead and co-captain at my glee club New Directions."

"Wow, so you're going to be lead again, right?" Veronica quizzed a bit blown away at the girls eager admission of her life story.

"Of course I am! Glee is what used to make my day worth all the..." She stops herself. "It will help in me becoming a Broadway star."

"Great!" Veronica smiles relieved that Rachel is in the club she seems to love singing so Veronica won't have to do much in the club.

"Hey, Rachel, why is your name Berry if your mom's is Corcoran?" Wallace quizzed.

"She's my biological mother, I only found out about her recently. She was a segregate for my dads. I have two gay dads. I love them very much but I missed having a mother and there was this whole fiasco but I wanted her in my life. When my dad's moved here, she moved along with us."

"Wow that's..."

"Crazy?" Rachel laughed. "That isn't half of it."

"Why did you move?" Veronica asked finding herself wanting to know more about Rachel.

"Uh..." Rachel pondered on whether or not to tell them the truth. She figured if she wanted friends she should but she doesn't want people feeling sorry for her. And she wanted to be at least a little bit popular, if they find out she's a loser, she might lose her chance to re-invent herself. It's not like she'd lie about who she is and who she wants to be. She will be honest about her life, she just will leave out the part where she's considered a major 'gleek' in William McKinley High School.

"My dads got new jobs here, dad is a lawyer and daddy is a doctor. The law firm dad was working for got shut down. He got a job here and daddy transferred." Rachel said in her usual 'Rachel way,' no-one would ever have thought that she was lying; not even Miss PI Veronica Mars. Technically, this is the truth as her dads did get new jobs here.

"Wow, so you must be an O9er," Wallace commented and Veronica sent him a glare because not every person with a decent job was an O9er.

"I beg your pardon?" Rachel raised her eye and looks at him as if he were speaking a different language.

"It's someone who lives in the prestigious 90909 zip code," Wallace explained quoting the words as Veronica had explained it to him.

"Oh I understand. Forgive me if I seem discourteous but isn't that a bit discriminative? Addressing people according to their zip code?" Rachel asked.

Veronica and Wallace look at each other in a thoughtful manner. They had never seen it that way.

"Well it's like this; people who live in the 90909 zip code are very rich and with money comes power and with power comes arrogance," Veronica explained.

"That seems kind of judgemental," Rachel frowned.

"It might but it's the truth. There are a rare few O9ers that are actually decent people."

"But don't-"

"Look, Rachel, Neptune is not like, where are you from?" Veronica inquired.

"Lima, Ohio."

Veronica is a bit surprised but continues, "Neptune is not like Ohio. This school alone is full of monarchy. But I guess you need to live it to believe it." She wanted to warn the girl about the dangers of the world but she knows that Rachel would probably disregard her words and see her as a cynical and judgemental person. Rachel reminded her of how she used to be, but well she was a whole lot less wordy.

Little does Veronica know that in Ohio monarchy was just as common except the ranks were given out to people who were the jocks of the school.

"Thank you Veronica, I will give heed to your warnings-" Before Rachel can get another word out, Veronica interrupted.

"Good, gotta boogie, see ya guys later, peace!" She hopped off the bench.

"You really gotta work on your gangster styles," Wallace shouted to Veronica as she walked. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Wallace, why did you assume that I am an O9er?"

"Your parents have jobs that pay well. People who are rich live in the O9er district. O9ers usually hang around their own kind."

"Why was Veronica so harsh toward them?"

"It's a long story and break is about to end. Maybe one day she'll tell you herself. But Rachel, she has a good reason. She's a good person, she just really wants to hide it," Wallace said and Rachel looked on with confusion.

"Wallace, did I offend Veronica? She seemed in a hurry to get away."

"Nah, she's just in a hurry as usual. You see, her dad's a private investigator and she works for him. She's actually on a case right now..."


	7. Airplanes

"Ah you've finally gotta new guy to place the blame on when something goes wrong in your life, Mars?" Logan quipped before she could pass him.

"Am I sensing jealously, Echolls?" She retorted and Logan started to walk beside her.

"Jealously?" He faked a thoughtful look."Nope. Relief of not having you follow me everywhere accusing me of whatever, yes."

"If you're that happy about being away from me, why are you talking to me?" She turned to face him. They both came to a standstill.

"What's up with you and Casey?" Logan inquired.

"Why do you care?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't," He briskly stated. She gave him a look of disbelieve. "I heard he joined a cult," Logan tried to hide his worry for the blonde.

"So?"

"I know you're involved in someway," He stated and it sounded as if he was accusing her.

"You think I cultivated him?" She looked at him as if he were crazy.

"No, I think he's going to cultivate you."

"What?" Her forehead creased in confusion.

"Look Veronica, you shouldn't get involved in that crap," He said with frustration.

"Who says its crap?" She'd been there, and they only wanted people to be happy. "And what does anything I do have to do with you?" Her fiery attitude came out.

"Oh my god, you've been there already," He shook his head in disbelieve.

She just could not understand him. "So what Logan? Since when do you care?"

"Look, it changed Casey, sure it made him less of a jackass but-"

"Maybe you should go there too," She snarled.

"Veronica..."

"Logan, they just want people to be happy. As sappy as it sounds that's the truth. And if it weren't for my dad telling me not to go there anymore, I would have gone back," She said and turned on her heel to walk away from him.

"Veronica!" He called out

She turned around and said in a voice of authority, "Logan, seriously enough,"

Logan watched her go with concern, he didn't know why he was concerned she obviously didn't appreciate it but he was.

~~Glee~~

"Okay guys! This is officially your first glee meeting. But before we can get started with that, we have two performances. First we'll have Eli Navarro," Shelby announced.

Weevil stood up but what surprises most is that Veronica stood up as well.

"We're doing Airplanes," Weevil announced not interested in the audience.

The music starts to a familiar song; Airplane by B.O.B and Hayley Williams.

"_**Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky are like shooting stars?"**_

Veronica sang and Logan's face reflects shock, he can't believe Veronica is singing with Weevil, was something going on between them? Not that he cared.

"Dude, Ronnie's singing with Weevil," Dick said with a shocked expression.

"Really?" Logan gritted through his teeth. "I hadn't noticed," He added sarcastically.

Dick gave Logan a weird look but shrugged.

"_**I could really use a wish right now  
Wish right now, wish right now."**_

Veronica thought that she could really use a couple wishes but hadn't she wished enough? It never came true... Not since Lilly died. She glanced up at the audience as she swayed. Logan looked angry and Veronica wanted to laugh, was Logan jealous? What was up with that?

"Veronica is totally slumming it with the biker," Madison commented t o Susan and Carrie. Carrie rolled her eyes.

"_**Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky are like shooting stars?"**_

That's when she saw her blonde best friend again, she didn't understand, it didn't make any sense but when she sang she saw Lilly. Lilly smiled at her and Veronica could only stare.  
**  
**_**"I could really use a wish right now  
Wish right now, wish right now."**_

Her voice started to fade, she focused on Lilly, Lilly moved behind Logan and Veronica looked right at him and then passed him, at Lilly. That only seemed to make Logan angrier.

"**Yeah, I could use a dream or a genie or a wish  
To get back to a place much simpler than this"**

Weevil rapped and he sounded fantastic at it. As he sang he couldn't remember a time in his life when it was ever simple. So if he had a wish what would it be? Maybe it'd be for Lilly Kane to be alive but he's life wasn't simple then either. Or maybe it'd be for Neptune to not be dominated by 09ers, maybe then it'd be simpler, maybe Lilly would have been with him then, maybe she wouldn't be dead.

Veronica could only wish that it were that simple. To go back... when her best friend was alive. Everything would just be better.

"'**Cause after all the partin' and cashin' and crashin'  
And all the glitz and the glam and the fashion"**

Those words only reminded Veronica of Lilly; she glanced up and searched for her blonde best friend. Veronica frowned when she couldn't spot her. If she told anyone they'd think she was crazy but when she sang she saw her dead best friend.

"**And all the pandemonium and all the madness  
There comes a time where you fade to the blackness  
And when you starin' at the phone on your lap  
And you hopin' but them people never call you back"**

Weevil glanced at his duet partner and noticed her frown, he didn't understand why because she looked okay at the beginning of the song.

He knew this song was about B.O.B and his life about fame and how music has gone crappy but it also held a resemblance to his relationship with Lilly. He remembered waitin' for her call but she never would.

"**But that's just how the story unfolds  
You get another hand soon after you fold"**

He was still waiting for life to deal him a better hand.

"**And when your plans unravel in the sand  
What would you wish for if you had one chance?  
So airplane, airplane, sorry I'm late  
I'm on my way so don't close that gate  
If I don't make it then I'll switch my flight  
And I'll be right back at it by the end of the night"**

Weevil could only wish for another opportunity to make everything right, but how could he now? Lilly was gone. He ended the verse and gave Veronica a smirk, Veronica's eyes seemed to be searching the room for someone, Weevil wasn't sure who but she looked dejected that she couldn't find them.

"_**Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky are like shooting stars?  
I could really use a wish right now  
Wish right now, wish right now.**_

She wanted to tear up when she sang but she held it in, her poker face mask was firmly in place. There was only one wish that she'd ever want to make, to have her best friend Lilly Kane back. She'd give anything for that. She knew it was impossible but she was so damned positive that Lilly came to her when she sang. Usually it was just dreams.

"**Yeah, somebody take me back to the days  
Before this was a job, before I got paid  
Before it all mattered what I had in my bank"**

Veronica realised how much certain lines related to their lives in Neptune, all that mattered here was how much money you had, which zip code you were born in.  
**  
"Yeah, back when I was tryin' to get a tip at subway  
And back when I was rappin' for the thrill of it  
But nowadays we rappin' to stay relevant"**

Veronica was surprised that the thoughts of Weevil being in a biker gang came to her mind, she wondered if he did some of the things he did, like tape Wallace naked to the pole because he wanted to stay 'relevant' well for people to still be afraid of him. It wasn't just revenge; it was because he wanted people to still fear him.  
**  
"I'm guessin' that if we can make some wishing out of airplanes  
Then maybe, oh, maybe I'll go back to the day"**

She didn't know Weevil before he was a biker, she wondered if his life was better back then.

"**Before the politics that we call the rap game  
And back when ain't nobody  
listened to my mixed tape  
And back when I tried to cover up my slang  
But this is for the hater, what's up  
So can I get a wish to end the politics?  
And get back to the music that started this hit  
So here I stand, and then again I say  
I'm hopin' we can make some wishes out of airplanes"**

Shelby was pleased with Weevil's rapping; perhaps Mr Clemmons hadn't made a terrible decision. She also noticed that he held emotion in his song but he tried his best not to show it, she had to work on that, getting these kids to open themselves up. If she could do that she would be satisfied.

"_**Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky are like shooting stars?"**_

She kind of got the meaning now, if you wish on a wishing star your wish will come true but when has anyone seen a wishing star in Neptune? Nope, wishing stars weren't visible in Neptune. If you pretended that airplanes were shooting stars, if wouldn't make the wish come true either because you're pretending. Either way your wish is not coming true.

"_**I could really use a wish right now  
Wish right now, wish right now.  
Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky are like shooting stars?  
I could really use a wish right now  
Wish right now, wish right now."**_

When Veronica finished everyone clapped for them and Shelby complimented them and then called, "Next up, Logan Echolls"


	8. Wanted Dead Or Alive

**Recap: Logan's worried about Veronica ever since she sang 'Bad Day' and because she was hanging with Casey who joined a cult and was 'cultivated', he thinks that they are going to cultivate her too. Casey's grandma passed away and then his parents kidnapped him at the funeral, according to Veronica anyway. They hypnotised him into being the jackass he previously was. Yep, crazy 09er parents. Anyway, Veronica was right but Casey was back and he was jackass again so it didn't matter. Weevil auditioned with 'Airplanes' and Veronica sang with him and Logan wasn't happy about it. Veronica saw Lilly's ghost again but she's not sure if it's real though she likes seeing her dead best friend even if it's not normal. Now it's Logan's turn to audition. That's what you missed!**

**~~Chapter 8: Wanted Dead Or Alive~~  
**

"Logan Echolls," Shelby calls.

Madison stands up and cheers for him while the others just clap in encouragement.

"I'm gonna sing, Bon Jovi's, Wanted Dead Or Alive," Logan announced and swung the guitar over his neck. Dick stood up and took his place by the drums behind his friend.

"**It's all the same, only the names will change"**

Yeah I knew what the song was about a rock star and his fame. But it was easily applied to my life. I doubt anyone would catch the meaning, maybe Veronica but everyone else would just think I sounded awesome. See, for example this line could symbolise all the girls I've been with but really I didn't even know their names. Yeah, pretty messed up but that's the life of a Logan Echolls. Think that's shallow? You haven't even seen the half of it.

_He sounded great but it looked like there was more to it than just the song,_ Veronica thought to herself. _I wonder if he realises what he's singing._

**"Everyday, it seems we're wastin' away  
Another place where the faces are so cold"**

****Well, that was high school; it was exhausting to see the same things over and over again. He didn't even know most of the people even though they lived off of his every word.

Veronica frowned.

"**I drive all night just to get back home**

**I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride"**

His voice gained gruffness, Veronica thought he sounded sexy and then her eyes widened at the thought. _No, you do not think Logan's voice is sexy!_

Home, he doesn't really feel like he has a home. He has a house, no a mansion but not a home. Yeah, he was a cowboy, riding solo. Ever since the Fab4... You could say he felt lonely. Not that he would admit to that, he'd say he didn't need anyone. He was King after all. He didn't need people, people needed him. As ridiculous as it might sound, people followed him like little puppies. The 09ers would forever need a leader and for now that was Logan, and sometimes Duncan.

"**I'm wanted dead or alive  
Wanted dead or alive"**

Logan can relate to Bon Jovi, everyone wants him for what he can do and not what he truly is. Logan knew that his position, his popularity, the 09ers want him because his parents are famous actors, he was Logan Echolls. No, if he was ordinary Logan... The only person that would've treated him the same would be Lilly... And Veronica...

Veronica doesn't know why but those words made her feel unnerving. She's understands that the song relates to Logan's life in some sense but did he really have to pick a song where they say 'Dead or Alive?' She really hated the literal sense of the word. But she knew it meant that people loved him because of his status, because of the Echolls name and not who he really is. Logan always loved reaping the benefits of having that kind of power so she wondered why it bothered him.

**"Sometimes I sleep; sometimes it's not for days"  
**

Sleep problems... It was easily solved with liquor but then again it's not much sleep as him being passed out.

**"The people I meet always go their separate ways"**

Not that he cares. Except when it's people he cares about. Lilly... Veronica... And Duncan, he's just not the same.  
**  
"Sometimes you tell the day  
By the bottle that you drink"**

Not really because Logan has more than one a day. If he were honest, the inventor of cell phones is someone that Logan really owes a big thank you to. If there weren't cell phones to give him the date, Logan would still think they were in the previous year. And living in the past was not something Logan favoured.

**"And times when you're all alone all you do is think"**

Think. Logan didn't like to think. Simply because thinking made him feel guilty. More specifically thinking about Veronica made him feel guilty. That's all he ever thought about when he was alone Lilly and Veronica, and even Duncan and the life they used to have. And that's kind of pathetic if you asked him so he doesn't think about stuff like that. He just does it. That's why most of his actions are stupid.  
**  
"I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted **_**(wanted**_**) dead or alive  
Wanted **_**(wanted)**_** dead or alive"**

His voice is deep and strong. Veronica licks her lips as Logan's voice radiates through the room. His hands are on the guitar and his body moves a little to the beat, but not enough to call it dancing.

Logan caught the look of Veronica's face and grinned, he doesn't know why but he kind of likes that look.

Dick is singing backup and he looked trilled at having the job. But only because he loves how his voice sounds when it's deep.****

"Oh, and I ride!"

They rocked it out and everyone is cheering while Logan rocks the guitar and Dick rocks the drums. Veronica doesn't know why but she loves the lock of ecstasy on Logan's face when he's strumming his guitar like a real rock star.****

"Oh, and I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted dead or alive"

_Stop thinking Logan is sexy!_ Veronica chastises herself. She suddenly has thoughts of Logan on a horse. They had once gone horse riding. Veronica had been stupid enough to joke with Logan about wanting a pony. He'd actually gotten her a pony. Temporarily anyway since the only place he could find someone selling a pony was in Texas and he seriously doubted that Keith Mars would let Veronica go with him to Texas. They had been fifteen and yet it seems like forever ago.

**"I walk these streets  
A loaded six-string on my back"**

All the 09er girls are fawning over him and sending him seductive looks when his head turns in their direction. Logan just smirks and continues singing.

**"I play for keeps 'cause I might not make it back  
I been everywhere **_**(oh yeah),**_** still, I'm standing tall  
I've seen a million faces  
And I've rocked them all**

**I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted **_**(wanted)**_** dead or alive  
I'm a cowboy, I got the night on my side  
I'm wanted **_**(wanted)**_** dead or alive  
And I ride, dead or alive  
I still drive **_**(I still drive)**_** dead or alive  
Dead or alive, dead or alive, dead or alive, dead or alive" **

Logan can't help but think** '**_it doesn't fucking matter if I'm dead or alive.'_

Everyone applauded even Veronica, she sent him a small smile and he returned it. He briefly wondered if it would matter to Veronica. He hoped the answer was yes.

Madison was praising him to no end but was put to a stop after a while by Shelby who congratulated him and Dick on a great performance.

"Now that all of the auditions are over, shall we start the introductions?" Shelby says.

Rachel immediately jumps up and enthusiastically starts to speak, "My name is Rachel Berry. I recently moved here from Lima, Ohio. I am very passionate about music and my dream is to be a Broadway star like my role model Barbara Streisand."

Before Rachel can continue her speech about herself, Shelby knowing that Rachel has a lot more to say interrupts her, "Thank you Rachel, so guys that's basically how you should introduce yourselves."

Rachel immediate understands that she was going a bit overboard, she's trying to fit in here but she doesn't really know how, though she does know talking too much about herself would seem conceited. She nods, gives a bright smile to her fellow glee clubbers and goes back to her seat.

"Are you like sisters?" Dick asks as he continuously looks back and forth between the two of them.

Shelby knew someone was bound to ask, especially with both her and Rachel standing next to each other and there's no sense in lying as the truth is clearly visible. Also lying won't help Rachel make friends.

"No, she's my daughter," Shelby answers.

"Whoa," Dick sounds out giving Shelby a very inappropriate look.

Shelby internally rolls her eyes. "How about you introduce yourself?"

"I'm Dick Casablanca; I'm passionate about the three B's. Beach, babes and booze," he finishes with a smirk.

Rachel thought that Noah's answer would be somewhat similar to this boy's but she's pretty sure he would have added 'Berry' in his list of B's. She also had a thought about reprimanding him about referring to the female population in a demeaning term but she doesn't want to be called, 'freak' so early in her arrival.

"I'm fairly certain that even in Neptune there are rules about underage drinking," Shelby comments but she's also pretty sure that it wouldn't matter.

"Yeah but no one cares," Dick says with a voice that sounds both relieved and a little bit sad.

"Is your name really Dick?" Rachel can't help but blurt out her question. She assumes that he is like Noah in regard to their names and likes to be called by a nickname but assuming is not facts. Rachel Berry does not get her facts wrong.

"That's what people call me; my real name is Richard Jr." Dick says taken aback by the girl's interest, no one really asked him that before except Veronica.

Rachel nods in acceptance and wonders if she should ask him if she can call him Richard instead. Though she'd never asked Noah for permission, she just did and he never had a problem though this is not Ohio and he is not Noah. But she is still Rachel Berry and she will call him by his birth name.

Cassidy decides to take it upon himself to break the silence since the teacher is looking at him. "My name is Cassidy Casablanca. I don't really have a passion but that's what high school's for right? Finding your way."

Shelby smiles at the nervous boy, it's refreshing to see a student be normal.

Rachel assumes that they are both brothers but she decides to ask just to be safe because assuming is never safe. "Are you both brothers?"

"Yeah," Cassidy says and Dick wonders, _what is with this girl and wanting to know everything._

She nods once again, waiting for the next person to introduce themselves.

Shelby looks at the next person who is Madison Sinclair.

"Everyone knows who I am," Madison sneers.

"Is that so? Well I have no idea about who you are. Please enlighten me. You can start with your name," Shelby remarks instantly disliking the arrogant girl. She had enough of them but of course she'd never disfavour the girl as she is a professional.

Madison silently fumes then remembers that this teacher is new, "You're new here, I guess it's to be expected," Shelby almost rolled her eyes at the girl. "I'm Madison Sinclair and I'm head cheerleader," Madison declares with her head up high.

_Great another pre-baby Quinn, _Rachel thinks. Now Quinn is somewhat her friend as she takes time to Skype with both Rachel and baby Beth. Actually since Rachel moved most of the glee kids kept in contact with her and they are actually friendlier as well.

"You shouldn't let your title define you," Shelby advises though she knows the girl won't take it.

"Whatever," Madison rolls her eyes.

"I'm Susan Knight," before she can say anything further the girl next to her introduces herself.

"I'm Carrie Bishop," She states and quickly looks at the next person for their introduction.

"My name is Megan Manning, though I prefer being called Meg. I like the arts; I enjoy singing and acting in particular. I am a cheerleader since I like encouraging people to do their best." She smiles sweetly.

Rachel is surprised by the peppy blonde. She assumed that all cheerleaders were mean with the exception of Brittany but this girl sounds like a very sweet person. She's probably the exception in Neptune.

"I'm Veronica Mars," the blonde petite girl starts and seems to want to end it there but Meg sends her a look encouraging her to say more. "I like solving mysteries," she adds not knowing what to say, "I'm a blonde, petite, detective; it barely fits on my business card," she jokes.

Almost everyone crakes a smile. Logan almost laughs at how 'Veronica' that sounds. He thinks that if she had to list everything that she could do, it really wouldn't fit on her business card.

Shelby instantly likes this girl, she had seen how much potential she had when she performed, sure she's not at Rachel's standards but she's well above average. She thinks about Clemmons said and she sincerely hopes that this club can make a difference in her life as well as Logan and Eli.

The African American boy stars to speak, "I'm Wallace Fennel. I like basketball. I guess you could say I'm more of dancer than a singer."

"You missed the part about being Veronica's sidekick," Logan snickers.

"Now Logan, there's no need to be jealous because you didn't get the part. It's just that your dreams about riding to Sesame Street on Big Bird are too big for me," Veronica speaks in a sugar coated voice.

Logan was about to defend his baby, Veronica loved picking on his beloved car and it pissed him off because his baby was the best. And its yellow colour was what made it special. It was in no way a 'Big Bird' or a 'Banana Boat' or 'Yellow monstrosity' as Veronica had called it on numerous occasions.

But before he could say anything Madison jumped into their banter. "As if Logan would ever be jealous of him; Logan hates you. Why would he want to even be near you?" Madison says with annoyance.

"I don't know Madison but if he can stand you without puking then I'm pretty sure being around me is a breeze," Veronica grins with ease at the annoyed 09er girl.

"You know what Madison, Logan spends more time bickering with Veronica than he ever did listening to you," Meg says feeling fed up with her so called friend. Meg had always tried to see the best in people but Madison cannot stop insulting her friends and she also took the opportunity to insult Meg when she could. Meg is sick of it. Everyone knows Madison wants Logan even though Logan never gave her the time of day even when she was dating Dick. "So if he hates Veronica, does he despise you? Or are you just that indifferent to him than you mean nothing?"

Everyone is surprised at the sweet peppy cheerleader's harshness towards Madison but everyone is thankful. Veronica is damn proud of Meg as she watches Madison fume in her seat.

Rachel is surprised that the sweet cheerleader insulted the mean head cheerleader. Things are certainly different here in Neptune. It's definitely good that friends stand up for each other.

"Enough of that, I'm sure Logan would like to introduce himself," Shelby takes control before the conversation gets out of hand.

"Everyone knows who he is! The entire freaking world!" Madison screams out her frustration but everyone ignored her including said boy.

Logan knows if he acknowledges her, she won't leave him alone. If he insults her she'd just beg for his forgiveness. He'd rather not say anything.

"I'm Logan Echolls. I like surfing, parties and playing Xbox," he pauses,_ and annoying Veronica Mars_. "I dislike pears." He adds as an afterthought and everyone is shocked at his completely normal description.

Veronica was sure there'd be sarcasm in there somewhere. Sure he didn't give a detailed description about himself but neither had she. He'd listed everything of as if he were an ordinary boy. Maybe that's the irony.

Everyone was expecting more but Logan didn't continue.

"Thank you Logan, now that we're clear about his likes and dislikes, I'm sure that no one would question it again." Shelby was itching to point out that Madison was not one of the likes.

"You're welcome," Logan says in a completely gentlemanly manner. Veronica is wary of Logan's good boy attitude. He notices her gave and sends her an innocent look. Veronica frowns and turns away.

"My name is Georgia. I really like music, and this is actually the first time I've been a part of a club," she smiles brightly at the end.

Mac debates on telling them her real name or just what she prefers to be called, since the latter consists of fewer words, it won over. "I'm Mac. I'm good with computers and I'm vegan."

Rachel's eyes brighten at the fact that someone else is vegan. She wanted to inquire if that was really her name but Mac continued to speak.

"Am I the only one that feels like we're in an AA meeting?" Mac voices out her thoughts.

"I can feel the confessions at the tip of my tongue, threatening to spill and set my soul free," Veronica comments, voicing her agreement with her friend.

Before further comments Shelby says, "It's important that we get to know each other. As of now, we are all a team. Teams work together. So it's necessary to know your teammates."

"As if, you can't expect me to be friends with them," Madison looks wide eyed.

"Do you not know anything about show choir? There are competitions and in order to win said competitions we need to work as a team. I did not say that you need to be friends just that you need to work together."

"Wait, competitions? I thought this was a school club," Carrie, who up until now had remained silent. She didn't want to be here but since Susan followed Madison here she'd agreed; only because she had to look out for her friend. She didn't want to participate in unnecessary conversations.

"It is. But in show choir there are competitions. There are Sectional's, Regional's and Nationals. During the course of the year we will be working towards winning."

"So we all have to work?" Madison says appalled at the idea.

"Unless you want to be a loser," Shelby says and that shut Madison up.

"There's one less person," Shelby says and then adds, "Eli Navarro," It shocks everyone that she notices.

Weevil had snuck out after his performance; he had thought that with Shelby being busy with Logan's audition hadn't really taken noticed but she had.

"So you did know our names!" Madison accused.

"Only the memorable singers," Shelby remarks.

"How dare-"

"Does this conclude our AA meeting for the day?" Logan asks with a bored expression on his face and really didn't want to hear Madison's tantrums.

"Sure, enjoy the rest of your week and be back here Monday afternoon. Same time. You all are dismissed."

~~VM~~

"You know the glee coach isn't that bad," Veronica says as she walks with Wallace and Georgia to the car park.

"You're only saying that because she dissed Madison," A voice that she knew too well remarks from behind her.

"Yes but mostly because she doesn't take 09er bullshit," Veronica replies with a smirk.

"Like someone else I know," Logan says with a smirk.

"Veronica we have to get going, you gonna be okay?" Wallace says indicating to Logan, who raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"He's harmless," Veronica reassures her best friend, Wallace has a disbelieving look and Logan is happy that she knows he won't hurt her.

"What do you think I'm gonna do to her?" Logan questions, not liking what her friend was implying.

"Bash in her headlights?" Wallace starts to list.

"Wallace, I'm fine. Go and enjoy your date."

"Yeah Wally enjoy your date," Logan mocks.

Wallace looks at Veronica and she shoos him away, he reluctantly leaves them.

"What do you want Logan?" Veronica questions as she turns to face him.

"Your business card?"

"Sorry, it doesn't go out to jackasses."

"Really? How do you get employment otherwise?"

"Logan," She doesn't like how easily they fall into bantering, especially when they aren't insulting each other.

"Veronica," He mocks once again.

"You're being weird," She finally decides to point out.

"Am I?" He raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"Yes."

"How exactly am I being 'weird'?"

"What is going on with you Logan?"

"I'm getting to know my teammate."

"Are you on crack?"

"That would be a good confession for the AA meeting."

"It's a glee club."

"Where we talk about our feelings and stuff or that's where it's leading to. I've a got a feeling this lady wants more than winning singing and dancing competitions"

"Like what?"

"Cultivate us?"

"Logan!"

"No, I'm serious."

"You are exasperating! I come from a Jewish heritage that's why I have a big nose! I will not get a nose job, it goes against my beliefs and what would Barbara think of that? She is my role model and I have been gifted the same nose as her so I can make a difference in the world!" A female voice shouts in frustration.

Veronica turns around, "Rachel?" She whispers with confusion.

"Dude, all I'm saying us that I'd totally date you if fixed your nose. It's nothing against you, it's just I have a weird thing about dating people that has something that's not normal size."

Rachel lets out a frustrated groan, "What in the world gave you the idea that I want to date you?"

"Every chick is into me," Dick says.

"That is demeaning to the female population! Every person is given a name and if you want to refer to females as a whole there is a pronoun which allows you to do so in a dignified manner which does not insult us girls. Also even if every girl you asked out has agreed, it does not mean that every girl that you will ask out will agree. You cannot assume things about people, that is why I ask questions. Not because I'm into you!"

Logan and Veronica are stunned at the girl's fierce nature and her ability to speak in one breath.

"If that's what he's being telling you then it's smart to not listen to him," Veronica advises her new friend?

"Pardon me?" Rachel blinks away her confusion.

"Every girl does not fall all over him; I'm proof of that fact and apparently so are you," Veronica smirks, she is pleased with Rachel's attitude toward the blonde surfer.

"Dude, did you seriously ask her to get a nose job?" Logan asks in disbelief.

"No, dude. Of course not, I said she should make her nose normal size."

"Dude, not cool," Logan shakes his head.

"She thought up the nose job thing all on her own," Dick defends himself.

"Dude, how'd it feel if she'd told you to cut your hair and then she'd date you?"

Dick's eyes grow huge, "WHAT?!"

"Exactly."

"Uh I'm sorry Rachel; I didn't know I was insulting you or anything."

"I see he still listens to you," Veronica whispers.

"I didn't tell him to apologise. He did it on his own."

Veronica looks at Logan and is a bit amazed at how much of the old Logan she sees.

"I accept your apology Richard."

"Did she just call him Richard?" Logan questions.

"Yeah, she did," Veronica nods as if she's not entirely sure.

~~Rachel's room~~

Quinn and Puck smile brightly into the camera on Quinn's laptop as they talk to Rachel and Beth.

Beth whines and Rachel coos, "Aw, are you hungry? You want some milk? Do you? Aw." She smiles at her baby sister and then says to Quinn and Puck, "I guess she's hungry, be back in a bit okay?"

She takes a milk bottle and settles on her bed with Beth. She then looks at Quinn and Puck and asks, "How's things at New Directions?"

"You know after you left everything fell apart," Puck says honestly and Quinn elbows his side and glares, they weren't supposed to make her feel bad. "Ow!" He frowned.

"Well, Sunshine's the new 'star' but really she's no Rachel Berry," Quinn says. "Kurt feels bad for arguing with her over solo's because she starts to cry when she doesn't get one. Literally."

"What?" Rachel's eyes widened. "Are things really that bad?"

"Naw, I think it's her thing like how you always storm out," Puck remarks.

"Anyway, Sue's principal, well temporarily anyway," Quinn tells her. And Puck can see the gossip session come on.

"Well, there's nothing Sue Sylvester cannot do," Rachel concedes.

"Mr Shue got sick and there's a hot substitute teacher," Puck grins.

"Please do not tell me you had sexual intercourse with the substitute teacher," Rachel sighs and looks at him with helpless eyes.

Quinn rolls her eyes, "He wishes."

"You wish," Puck countered and then frowned when he realised it wasn't his best retort.

"I'm dating Sam," Quinn remarked with a smirk on her face.

"How is Samuel?" Rachel questions, she hadn't met the blonde boy but she'd heard a lot about him.

"Dude's fine." Puck brushes off the topic, while Sam might be one of his best buds, he didn't want to have to sit through Quinn gushing over him to Rachel.

"You know, Rach, Finn and Puck thought it would be funny to play a prank on the sub," Quinn starts to tell her the story.

_They were in the choir room, Puck and Finn were buttering the floor. _

"_Dude, what are you doing?" Sam asks when he comes into the room._

"_Kurt got us a substitute, so we're buttering the floor," Puck replies with a grin. Quinn shakes her head._

"_We're all gonna swap names, yo," Artie says with a nod of approval._

_Sunshine enters the choir room and takes a few steps before slipping. Puck was about to cheer about how it worked but soon the girl had tears in her eyes and Puck shut his mouth about the prank._

"_You should be more careful when you walk," Puck said innocently._

_Holiday enters the room and slides across as if she were skiing. And everyone's mouths drop open._

Rachel laughs because Puck's plan hadn't worked, but when she stops she says, "You should apologise to Sunshine."

"Come on Berry! If it were you, you'd stand with your head high and be snarky," he argues.

"Yeah," Quinn agrees. "Maybe something like." She adapts her 'Rachel Berry' voice with as much pride as possible, "At least I didn't fall and break my talent, I'm fine." And then Quinn lets out a giggle.

Puck laughs, "Exactly that!"

Rachel smiles warm-heartily at her friends, she wonders if they would be friends like this if she were still in New Direction, maybe Noah but Quinn...

"But anyway Mr Shue's back but Ms Holiday is still sticking around, she's teaching History, I think," Puck says.

"Enough about us, what's up there?" Quinn asks.

"Seen any hot chicks?" Puck grins.

Rachel frowns; actually the school was flooded with 'hot chicks' Noah really would have loved that. "That is demeaning and-"

Before she could start her speech Puck interrupted her, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard the speech before Berry, but answer the question."

"Well, how would I know?" Rachel answers instead.

"What about the guys; is there anyone you're crushing on?" Quinn asks and Puck frowns. He doesn't like the idea of one of those Neptune douches hurting his American Jewish Princess.

"Not really," Rachel frowns when the thought of Dick Casablancas popped into her mind. "But the guys are extremely sexy." Quinn grins at Rachel while Puck frowns.

"You still haven't introduced us to your friends, Wallace and Veronica," Puck points out, he imagines Veronica to be hot.

"There is hardly ever any time between glee club and settling in, Wallace is a basketball star and Veronica has a job as a PI," Rachel explains.

"Damn, Veronica's a modern day Nancy Drew?" Puck is picturing the girl, who he has never seen as Alias.

"Wallace is a basketball star?" Quinn's eyes widen with admiration. She doesn't know why but she always had a thing for jocks.

"Well, you could say that," Rachel shrugs.

"What aren't you telling us?" Quinn questions, Rachel never left her answers with one sentences.

"Well, in my glee club-"

"What's it called anyway?" Puck asks.

Rachel frowns they haven't named it yet. "Shelby hasn't chosen a name yet. I'll tell her about it, we need a name, maybe-"

"We get it," Quinn cuts her off, "Now what about your club?"

"There was this guy who asked me out he was kind of a jerk but not really. He was arrogant and he thinks that the entire female population fawns over him."

"He's like Puck?" Quinn provides a short explanation while Puck frowns and objects.

Rachel frowns, "Kind of, I mean no one could be like Noah-"

"Thank you Berry!" Puck says with a sigh of relief.

Rachel smiles. "Noah is one of a kind; there may be a few similarities such as his need to shorten his name and his bad boy behaviour and his attitude toward school and his obsession with his hair-"

"That's a lot of similarities," Quinn points out and Puck frowns. Quinn wonders if Rachel's attracted to this guy because he resemblances Puck so much. She had wondered what would have happened between Puck and Rachel had she and Finn not interfered. Quinn knew that Finn had loved Rachel, puppy love but still. She also knew that Puck had liked Rachel enough to not fool around on her. She's not sure how the triangle between them would have played out had Rachel not left. She wonders if Rachel met any guys that were like Finn.

"Well yes," Rachel frowned. "But that's about where it ends. He's blonde and he's a surfer."

"Rachel!" Quinn's eyes widen. "That there alone paints the picture of hotness!"

"If the guys a jerk stay away from him," Puck warns. "It's not like there's anyone there to look out for you so you gotta look out for yourself."

Rachel understands what he is saying and she holds herself back from pointing out that she has always been looking out for herself. Then she remembers when Jesse hurt her Puck and Finn had defended her.

Quinn wonders if Puck said that honestly or because he still had feelings for the soon-to-be-Broadway-sensation Rachel Berry.

"Hey Rach, what's the guy's name?" Quinn asks curiously.

"Richard Casablancas but he favours the name Dick, heavens knows why," she explains.

Pucks eyes widened, "Shit! Rachel said dick!" He would have laughed if he hadn't been so stunned.

_Casaberry? Hmm, Casaberry, Puckleberry or Finchel? Which will it be Rachel Berry?_ Were the thoughts that passed through Quinn's mind because she knew that Rachel still harboured feelings for Finn yet this new guy who resembled Puck an awful lot caught her attention, which could either mean she still liked Puck and hadn't realised or she just liked this new guy.


	9. Perceptiveness

**Parts not shown but happened****: Wallace sang 'Don't Wanna Go Home' by Jason Derulo for his audition. Georgia sang 'One Step At A Time' by Jordan Sparks for her audition. Madison, Carrie and Susan sang 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls for their audition. Mac auditions with 'Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry. **

**Recap: Logan auditioned with 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' by Bon Jovi. Shelby told everyone to introduce themselves which Mac thinks is like an AA meeting. Meg is fed up with the 09er girls especially after the purity test fiasco, which no one except Veronica knows that Mac made. Veronica thinks Logan is acting weird-as in weirdly nice? Well Logan nice anyway. And he's just going with it. Rachel and Dick seem to be getting along – not. He thinks she's hot and that he'd date her if she didn't have a big nose. She thinks he's a jackass. But Dick shows he has a heart and apologises, shocker, right? Oh and Rachel calls him Richard instead of Dick which shocks Logan and Veronica. Rachel Skype's with Puck and Quinn, they tell her about the new sub, Ms Holiday who is now teaching at McKinley and about Sunshine, who's taken Rachel's place but is no Rachel Berry, she also cries a lot. Quinn thinks Rachel might have a crush on Dick, or have hidden feelings for Puck and she knows that she still likes Finn. That's what you missed!**

~~VM & GLEE~~

"Before we start we have one more audition," Shelby announces and Duncan walks into the room.

He gives a half-smile and says, "Hey, I'm Duncan Kane and I'm auditioning with Mad World by Tears For Fears."

"**All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places, worn out faces"**

Duncan starts of the song in a slow harmonious tone. He looks around him and he spots Logan and Veronica watching him with concern and curiosity respectively.

**"Bright and early for their daily races  
Going nowhere, going nowhere"**

_Duncan arose early in the morning, only to be met with the sight of his mother._

"_Duncan, don't forget to take your medication," Celeste reminded him already in her jogging attire. "I left them on the counter along with your breakfast, hurry up Duncan; you don't want to be late for school."_

_Duncan sighed when his mother left, not only did he have to take medication for his medical condition but he had to take it to numb the pain. He knew it made him feel less but he wasn't ready to feel more. He doesn't know if he will be able to ever feel more than the numbness inside him._

_The phrase 'ignorance is bliss' was Duncan's life's motto._

"**And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had"**

Duncan barely ever remembers his dreams anymore. He remembered seeing Lilly once in a dream- it was when he skipped his medication- he didn't know if seeing his sister with her skull bashed in was better or worse. All he knew that after that day he never skipped his medication again until now, he didn't skip completely he reduced the amount he was taking.

Once Duncan had dreamt of dying- and he felt happy- because when he had died he went to his sister and she wasn't filled with blood from her bashed in skull, she looked happy and Duncan wanted to be happy with her. But he just couldn't take his life. The one time he tried anything risky like that was when he was off his meds and jumped of the schools bleachers.

"**I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles it's a very, very  
mad world, mad world"  
**

Duncan didn't understand how Logan was so driven in life; he had so much of energy. Even Veronica had passion and determination in life… Duncan had nothing; he had no meaning in life.

"**Children waiting for the day they feel good  
Happy birthday, happy birthday"**

He remembered the last birthday he was happy.

_It was exactly twelve am when Lilly came bursting through his bedroom doors and started to hop up and down on his bed as she shouted, "Donut! Donut! Wake up! You're finally sexy sixteen! Wake up!"_

_Duncan whined as he shoved his head further into his pillow._

"_Veronica's here," Lilly said in a sing-song voice._

_Duncan shot up from under the covers with wide eyes and Lilly laughed. Duncan frowned when he realised his sister lied and that Veronica was not in fact here._

_When Lilly finally had enough air to talk she smiled widely and shouted, "Happy Birthday Donut!" She hugged her brother and then started to bounce around excitedly. Lilly always loved to celebrate life. She never needed a reason but having one seemed nice. Lilly appreciated the significance of being alive though she firmly believed that everyone should celebrate everyday as though it was their birthday. _

_Lilly was giddy and hyper, "Guess what I got ya!"_

"_Uh, a car?" Duncan guessed with hopeful bright eyes._

_Lilly's eyebrows frowned but the smile never left her face. "Don't be silly Donut, everyone knows that the Wicked Witch of the West wants to gift you with your broom."_

"_Lilly! That's our mother!" Duncan looked at her with scandalous eyes._

"_And that's exactly why you knew who I was referring to," Lilly laughed. "Come on, guess again."_

_Duncan gave it a moment of thought and then his face brightened once again while Lilly giggled. "The new Halo game? Or Street Fighter? Or-"_

_Lilly interrupted him before he went on naming all of his favourite video games. "No, no, why would I get you something that you would get yourself?"_

_Duncan frowned while Lilly grinned. "Well what could you get me that I couldn't get myself?"_

"_Oh brother! It's not what you can't get yourself but what you won't get yourself," Lilly had a mischievous glint in her eye as she smirked._

_Duncan swallowed hard and he asked with a little hope left that it won't be an embarrassing present. "You got me a fake ID?"_

_Lilly laughed. "Honey, that can be Veronica's present, she's the only one that can make real fake ID's."_

_Duncan was now scared of his sister's birthday present to him, "What is it?"_

_Lilly laughed at Duncan as visibly looked afraid. She pulled out a box from the floor and handed it to him with a bright smile on her face. He seemed to relax at the fact that it was in a box. He unwrapped the bow first and then started to take of the layer of wrapping- Lilly knew that he took forever to unwrap presents and thus used one layer to avoid her tearing through the wrapping herself like previous years._

_Duncan's eye's widened at the contents of the box and Lilly laughed at his expression, he looked as if he saw a ghost when he picked up the pants and top that was entirely leather._

"_Don't you love it Donut!" Lilly giggled. "You're wearing this for your sexy sixteen!" She grinned widely._

_Much to Duncan's horror, he had in fact ended up wearing the leather outfit Lilly had gotten him but only for two hours which was longer than Lilly expected him to wear it._

But now not even his birthday made him feel good, in fact it made him feel worse. He was reminded of the fact that his sister wasn't with him.

_At midnight he was awake but no one came bouncing through his door and he didn't get any embarrassing gifts either. The only person that tried to make his birthday a big deal was Logan but Duncan couldn't celebrate his birthday without his sister, he just couldn't. As per custom he stood while pictures were taken and he blew out the candles but he didn't feel anything but numb._

**"Made to feel the way that every child should  
Sit and listen, sit and listen**

**Went to school and I was very nervous  
No one knew me, no one knew me"**

At school he and Logan were the Kings of Neptune but Duncan honestly felt that he wasn't what people expected- wanted him to be. Logan was the real King of Neptune, everyone listened to him. Duncan was just there and Logan graciously shared the title because he was his best friend. No, Duncan was not needed in school by anyone- he was insignificant. No one truly knew Duncan Kane, how come they when he did not know himself?****

"Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson

**Look right through me, look right through me"  
**

Duncan often felt like a ghost… A ghost of his sister… He felt his body linger around, waiting for what he did not know.

**"And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles it's a very very  
Mad world"**

Duncan ends the song, he was fairly certain that the song was right. He was not insane, rather the world was insane and he wasn't the one pretending that everything was okay, everyone else was when they just continued on living their lives, did they even know what they were living for?

Everyone claps and cheers for Duncan, Logan and Veronica share a look of concern for the boy that settles down beside his best friend.

"Thank you Duncan, that was great," Shelby compliments with a smile as she take charge of the lesson. "Now this week's theme is perceptiveness. You will have to pick out a name from this hat and then pick a song that describes how you see or feel about the person that you have picked, the song can describe your feelings or the way you see the person," Shelby explains.

She's not entirely sure about this method in winning but she's hoping that it will be a good exercise for them. She is not aware of how well they know each other, but she's hoping that this exercise will help them understand each other more. She also thinks that their emotions might give them an edge. That was one thing that Vocal Adrenaline did not have and New Direction did have. Shelby is looking to have the best of both, the winning streak that Vocal Adrenaline produced and the heart that New Directions always conveyed. If she can get that she would have fulfilled her duties as coach and teacher. The students would hopefully turn into a family that Will had always wanted his team to be. Though Shelby won't push it and will try to get them to find themselves more than turn them into a self-loathing family.

"Wait, you want us to sing to each other?" Weevil asks with his disgust at the thought clear on his face.

"Basically," Shelby agrees.

"That doesn't seem fair as I am new I don't know much about them," Rachel says confused.

"Yeah and even though we all school together we don't hang in the same circle so how are we gonna sing about people we don't really know?" Georgia asks with a wary expression.

"That's kind of the point. I want to see how you see each other at face value but if you do know the person then I would like to see how he or she has made you feel. That is why I said describe how you see or feel."

"So you're basically telling us to judge each other?" Veronica questions from her seat with a blank expression.

"Not precisely. You might not understand why I'm giving you this assignment but maybe by the end of the year you will understand."

"End of the year? Dude, that's like forever!" Dick says clearly shocked and unhappy about the long wait.

"It takes a lot of small pictures put together for you to notice the bigger picture," Shelby answers sounding a bit too much like Will for her liking.

"I thought this was drama not drawing," Madison sneers.

"It's neither. It's show choir. " Shelby says in an authoritative manner. "In register order, Rachel Berry first," Shelby says and Rachel gets a nervous look on her face but nevertheless stands up with confidence and marches up to the hat.

Rachel picks up the paper and realises a breath, "Wallace," She smiles with relief that she got someone that she knew. Wallace smiles back at her, happy that he got a nice person singing about him.

"Carrie Bishop," Shelby calls.

Carrie looks wary but walks with attitude, honestly she doesn't care. She picks up the paper and looks at it with disgust, "Dick? You gotta be kidding me," She rolls her eyes but goes back to her seat.

"You know you love me, babe," Dick winks at her.

"Cassidy Cassablancas."

Cassidy looks nervous, he didn't think that he'd actually have to sing or dance or do anything really. He thought that he'd just do what he always did and become invisible. He picks up the paper and whispers, "Cindy." He thinks for a moment then recalls and says, "Mac," He smiles brightly when he says her nickname. Mac looks confused at his happiness but realises maybe he'd rather sing to than someone like Madison.

"Richard Cassablancas."

"Dude, it's Dick." He corrects and walks with arrogance to the hat. He picks the piece of paper and says, "Rachel Berry," He winks at Rachel who in turn has a look of horror

"Wait! He can't sing about me, he'll be objectifying me with every single word. People like him shouldn't be allowed to sing about girls!" Rachel shouts her objection.

"Rachel!" Shelby warns. "It sounds a lot like you're judging him and that's not very fair. He has a right to his own opinion but he will not be allowed to perform something that is overly inappropriate as he is a teenage boy in school," She warns Dick with a glare.

"Yes ma'am," Dick winks at Shelby and in turn she shakes her head.

"He told me to get a nose job!" Rachel shouts again trying her best to make Shelby change her mind.

"So what? He's totally right. I mean look at you, you put Pinocchio to shame!" Madison scoffs with distaste.

Before Shelby could reprimand the girl, Dick says, "At least her nose is real unlike yours, and I didn't mean to say that about Rachel."

Everyone was shocked to silence with Dick's defence of Rachel and Madison was fuming.

"Okay, enough of that, this is not a boxing ring. Madison what you said was unnecessary and uncalled for. What goes on between Rachel and Dick is their business not yours," Shelby says with clear authority and Madison is speechless at the turn of events.

"Rachel, I expect you to respect my decisions as your coach and not to change my decisions without any valid reasons. You need to respect your fellow glee clubbers, that goes for you too Madison," Shelby orders and is surprised at Rachel's attitude. Shelby is happy that Dick stood up for Rachel; she knows not many people did that for her before.

"Logan Echolls"

Logan stands up and strides to the hat, he picks up the neatly folded piece of paper and his lips curves. "Veronica Mars."

Veronica watches him in with wide eyes. She really didn't want him to pick her name, he's been acting weird and damn, this whole situation is weird.

Logan studies Veronica's face for a second, as he walks back to his seat he wonders if this was a good thing or a bad thing. One thing was for sure whatever he chose to sing would make a difference and as of lately Logan was hoping for a good kind of difference with Veronica.

"Wallace Fennel"

As Wallace walks he weighs out the chances of who he could pick and the only options that he wanted were either Georgia or Meg. He picks up the paper and says, "Susan Knight." He frowns he doesn't know her and he really is not the judging type. He'll just ask Veronica for help.

"Duncan Kane"

Duncan just walks; he wanted to get this over with. He picks the paper and practically ripped it open, "Meg Manning." He smiled a little as he looked up to see said girl smile with reassurance.

"Susan Knight"

Susan looks around her and was trying to judge who was left but she couldn't remember who was left. She opens her paper and smiles, "Carrie." Carries is also pleased that her best friend is singing for her but she is still annoyed that she has to sing to Dick.

"Cindy McKenzie"

Mac didn't want to be here, she hoped that she could just blend in or something, now she'd have to sing to someone? Kill me now! She read the paper with a shudder and uttered the name, "Madison."

Madison glares at the blue streaked haired girl but didn't say anything.

"Megan Manning."

Meg smiles as she knew that no matter who she got she'd come up with a good song to sing for them and make them feel special. As she unfolds the paper and saw the name she realizes she was wrong, what song could she sing to the leader of a biker gang that would not make him angry? "Eli," she whispers and then lifts her head up with a smile. She'll come up with a song.

Weevil looks at her like she was a bit crazy; why was she smiling that brightly? He's pretty sure she's gonna sing a cheesy teen song but whatever.

"Veronica Mars"

Veronica really wished that she had a different name. As she walked she prayed, 'Anyone but Logan or Duncan! Please, if there's a God out there, I beg you!' She opens the paper as if it were a bad fortune cookie. 'Shit, I guess there's no God out there that likes me!' "Duncan," She swallows hard and says with a barely audible voice.

"Eli Navarro"

Weevil thinks that it's pretty unfair that he had to be in the last three just because his surname stated with an 'N' now he's left with two white boys and Wallace's girlfriend. The latter sounds better. He curses as he reads the name, "Logan." He's face is very livid and he considers quitting the club and getting suspended rather than sing to the stupid rich white boy.

Logan looks shocked but is surprisingly grateful that it's not Madison singing to him.

"Wow Weevil I gotta say, serenading me is not gonna make me go to prom with you," Logan remarks.

"Yeah well at least I got a chick singing for me," Weevil retorts.

"You do know that you're the guy singing for me," Logan looks amused at how easy Weevil made himself a target.

"Enough," Shelby looks between the boys with amusement. "Madison Sinclair."

Madison was glaring daggers at Weevil, she was hoping to pick Logan and she wasn't really paying attention to who was left now she's going to be surprised in front of everyone and it's all that Mexican's fault for picking Logan.

She fumes silently and picks up the second last piece of paper, "Georgia Sparks" Madison wonders who that is and then when she notices that it's the small-sized black girl and sends a glare her way.

Georgia looks at the cheerleader and wonders why did she have to be the one to pick her name but then realises she can't change it and it is her turn. She wishes that Madison would have gone with the other name so she could sing to herself. Then she realises that the other name is who she's going to sing to and that the other name is; Cassidy Cassablanca.

"Georgia Sparks"

"It's okay, I know that the name is Cassidy," She says with a small smile.

Some look shocked that the girl knew who was left and some were expecting it. Cassidy was relieved that it Madison hadn't picked his name, only God knew what she'd sing.

Shelby smiles and states, "Okay, so you're dismissed."

~~VM~~

"Hey!" Dick calls out, "Berry!" Rachel turns to him with a look of annoyance.

"What do you want?" Rachel questions him.

"I thought you forgave me about the nose thing," he says.

"I have," she agrees with a nod as she recalls the previous day's event.

"So what was up with that in glee?" He quizzes the petite brunette girl.

"I didn't want you to sing to me," she answers casually.

"Why?" He asks with confusion spilling out.

"Because I know you're going to sing something rude and vulgar. I'm new here and people are going to label me according to what you say. I know this because you're popular and everyone just has to follow you around like puppies. I don't want to be labelled." She had almost said again, almost.

"Yeah well I wasn't gonna sing anything mean to you. And look who's labelling who now," he says with a shake of his head and turns on his heel to leave.

Rachel is left stunned, she'd never thought that she'd label someone, judge someone, but she did. Damn her good girl conscience.

"Richard! Wait," She calls to him.

He stops but doesn't say anything and waits for her to come to him.

"I'm sorry," she says sincerely as she realises her mistake.

"What?" He looks surprised, girls never say sorry to him!

"I said I'm sorry so don't be a jackass and accept my apology," she huffs not liking that she was wrong.

"You just called me a jackass and you want me to forgive you," he states but sounds more like a question.

"Yes," she replies with a smile.

"Damn you are just like..." He says below a whisper and shakes his head.

Though Rachel hears and has to ask, "Who?"

"Ronnie," He says with a sad smile.

"Who?" She looks at him with confusion, was she supposed to know this person?

"Veronica Mars," he finally answers and Rachel looks surprised, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

~~VM~~

"So if Weevil's serenading you, are you serenading me?" Veronica asks the brunette boy who had called her to a halt.

"Are you serenading Duncan?" He retorts.

"Point taken, what do you want?" She asks with a straight face.

"Wow, did you just give up?" Logan smirks at his supposed victory.

"No, there was no point to continuing that conversation," she says with a frown at Logan's accusation that she'd lose.

"Yet you got the point."

"Yeah I got your point so there was no longer any point to continue with that conversation," she replies in one breath and thinks that that sentence had too many words that could easily be confused.

"Breath Mars, I know your heart is running a marathon with me this close to you but there's no need for your lips to join it," he says with his smirk growing wider and he wonders since when did it become okay to speak to Veronica like this?

"Seriously?" Veronica raises her eyebrows. Logan is acting really weird.

"I knew you couldn't deny it," he lets out a small chuckle and just goes along with whatever comes naturally for the moment.

"Well you were so dead on; I couldn't possibly prove you wrong." She rolls her eyes.

"So any special requests? I mean I am singing for you."

"Well I'm sure heavy metal or punk would have a lot of songs about hate and dying," she suggests and almost regrets it the moment she sees Logan's face_. He's been acting weird and I have a feeling that this conversation is going to go in a direction that I don't think I'm ready for._

"Veronica, I don't hate you and I never wished you dead. God, I can't believe you just said that." The hurt is clear in his face and voice.

Veronica is surprised by how upset Logan is and knows that he did not know about what happened at Shelly's party, in some weird way it makes her feel better.

"Logan I was joking," she tries to reassure and she's not sure why she feels the need to reassure him about anything anymore.

"You shouldn't joke about that, it's not funny." He releases a deep breath of air and runs his fingers through his hair.

"Look Logan, don't act like we're bff's. Last week you claimed to hate me and now you're claiming that you don't. I don't get that. I honestly have no idea what is going on with you but I don't think that I have a right to anymore. I should go," she says turning to leave Logan behind her.

"Veronica!"

"Logan, really," she rapidly turns towards him as if prepared for a fight. "I just picked up a death note that I have to sing about a boy who has ignored me for a year, and I found out a boy who has been tormenting me for a year is probably going to sing a song about how much he hates me and how much he enjoys hurting me," she says once again in one breath and wonders how did she get that ability? And then notices that Logan wants to object. "Oh and did I forget to mention that we all used to be friends?" She lets out a teary laugh. "Bummer, right?" She shakes her head.

"Veronica, I'm sorry," he says with tear filled eyes.

"What?" She looks up shocked, did Logan just say sorry?

"I'm sorry for everything. I know that you aren't going to forgive me now but I'm kind of hoping that you will," he tries to express his grieve and guilt but he's sure that school is not the place for that.

"Hope will only set you up for disappointment Logan," she says a little too wisely for her age. She doesn't know what she's advising Logan about this but the words just spill out her mouth. "You shouldn't hurt yourself with that kind of pain."

"You don't hope?" His voice echoes the shock he feels and his wide eyes emphasis the point as well.

"For what?" She questions. "World peace?" She suggests and laughs humourlessly. "Like that's happening anytime soon."

"Veronica, without hope what's the point of living in this god forsaken world?" He cannot believe that the girl who had taught him the meaning of hope has lost faith in it herself.

"You know, I asked myself that question a thousand times," She looks directly in his eyes. "And as sappy as my answer is it's all I got; my dad. He's the reason I'm still here Logan. He's the reason I'm still breathing," she answers honestly.

"Veronica." Logan looks at her with shock and hurt.

"See you around Logan, and I hope you find something that's more tangible than hope to make this world worth living in."


	10. Ignorance

**Recap: Duncan auditions with 'Mad World'. Shelby gives an assignment about perceptiveness and everyone is doubtful about it because they have to sing to each other about how they see or feel about them. Dick and Rachel become sort of friends. Veronica tells Logan that she doesn't believe in hope, she believes in her dad while Duncan doesn't believe in anything but no one knows that. Logan wants Veronica to be hopeful and she tells him that he should be realistic which is ironic because Logan's like the most realistic person ever. And that's what you missed!**

~~VM~~

"Veronica..." A female voice sings out.

"Lilly?" Veronica mumbles the name as she slowly opens her eyes to see her blonde haired best friend standing above her, with lips curved in a smile.

"Were you expecting someone else? I'm pretty sure that I'm your only dead best friend," The taller blonde says with a light laugh.

"Lilly, why are you here now?" Veronica emphasises the last word, she's used to seeing her friend in her dreams but it always seems as if she's trying to say something that Veronica just can't quiet get. "You always seem to have a reason."

"Well, yeah but you'll be seeing so much more of me," Lilly brightly says with a smirk, Lilly had always liked knowing more than others and that aspect hasn't seemed to change in her afterlife.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Veronica asks with a frown; she never liked being kept in the dark.

Lilly's features suddenly turn serious, "You saw me Ronica; when you weren't asleep."

"That was real?" Veronica asks as the confusion takes over her and her mind races with a million questions. "That was really you?" Veronica may be confused but at the prospect of actually seeing and talking to her best friend was too amazing for her to not be happy.

"Veronica, let's not get technical but when you sing it kind of connects us," Lilly replies and wonders how is she going to explain the answers to all of Veronica's questions. She never liked explaining things even when she was alive; Veronica mostly just got what she meant and when she didn't Lilly would enjoy toying with her until she did.

"Meaning?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Lilly rolls her eyes and breaks the serious atmosphere around the blonde best friends.

"Lilly, I hate when you speak in riddles," Veronica pouts.

"I know you do but I love it. Though that's not what I wanted to tell you," Lilly says and her voice echoes the worry in her mind.

"What did you want to tell me?" Veronica asks with curious eyes.

"Have a little faith Veronica Mars," Lilly smiles a sad smile, wishing that it wouldn't have come to this point.

"Really?" Veronica asks sceptical of the advice and wonders if Lilly knew about her conversation with Logan or if Lilly was just a part of her subconscious that still had hope, the part she wanted to murder.

"Yeah and you need to put Donut in his place," She says playfully though her eyes are serious.

"What?" The confusion that Veronica feels even Rachel wouldn't be able to put it into words.

"Veronica, I can't help Duncan but you can and the only way that's gonna happen is if you really sing about how he treated you. It's called tough love, Veronica. It might be mean but it might be what it takes to break Duncan out of his slumber. Veronica, you need to help them and let them help you." Lilly's eyes were pleading.

"But..."

"Shin like a star Mars!" The tall blonde says with a high pitched voice and vanishes in a flash.

Veronica jolts awake with shock and pants a little but understands. As crazy as it may sound she is almost confident that the conversation she had with her dead best friend was real.

"Have a little faith? Shine like a star Mars? Seriously can it get anymore sappy?"

Veronica shakes her head and tries not to think about the conversation that she's trying to convince herself that she dreamt.

~~Saturday Dog Beach~~

Veronica and Wallace are on the beach; Wallace plays with his model airplane as Veronica plays fetch with Backup.

"I mean what am I supposed to sing to a person I know nothing about?" Wallace looks at Veronica and sees her blank expression. "Veronica? Are you listening to me?"

Veronica rolls her eyes and says, "Wallace, you're complaining to a person who has to sing to her ex-boyfriend who has basically treated her like a stranger and is blissfully ignorant of my existence. You, my friend, have the better deal." She patted his shoulder with absolutely no sympathy.

"Right, well there are millions of songs that you can sing," Wallace says trying to make her feel better. "I gotta say; Taylor Swift has a wide range of love songs about revenge and stuff."

"Wallace, why do you know the songs of the country singer Taylor Swift?" She added a look of suspicion while biting back a grin.

"She's like everywhere, it's not my fault the world's in love with her," he defended his words and all Veronica could do was laugh.

"Hey Wallace, Veronica," Rachel shouts and waves in greeting at them as she makes her way towards them through the sand.

"Hey Rachel," Both Wallace and Veronica greet.

"How are you both?" Rachel smiles politely at them.

"Fine thanks," Veronica says with a small smile.

"I'm good thanks and you?" Wallace smiles back.

"I'm great thank you," Rachel replies and wonders about what would be an appropriate topic to speak about.

"So what are you doing here?" Veronica breaks the awkward silence that settled between them.

"Oh my dad and daddy wanted to go sightseeing around Neptune to get familiar. I'm not really a beach type of person. Too much of sun can cause hazardous diseases like skin cancer-"

"Yeah, but not enough sun would make you lack in vitamin D," Wallace says, he didn't want to be rude but he had a feeling that Rachel could go on and on.

"Yes but there are several leafy vegetable that can accommodate for the loss and there are vitamins supplements."

"Though nothing beats the natural sun, Neptune's greatest attraction is the beach," Veronica tells her.

Rachel considers her words and nods in understanding. "That makes sense since Neptune is the Roman God of water and the sea. Did you know he is the counterpart of Greek god Poseidon?"

"That's interesting," Veronica says with real interest in her voice. "So you like mythology stuff?" Veronica questions she had once had an interest in the subject but had never really found time to read about it when the subject had sparked an interest to her and then she kind of forgot about researching it up.

Excited to have found some common ground with Veronica she nods, "Yes. I like to have a wide variety of knowledge on whatever subjects I come across. You never know when it can come in handy and there are a lot of good metaphors in mythological stories that could be used in songs. I am all for metaphors."

"Yeah, the star at the end of your name, right?" Veronica asks and her thoughts drift to when Lilly had said 'Shin like a star Mars?' Was that a metaphor? Mars is a star so there's a pun there. She then internally shook her head to get rid of her ridiculous thoughts.

"Yes! Exactly!" Rachel smiles brightly that they understand her. "What were you both up to anyway?"

"He came to play with his plane and I came to walk this big guy," Veronica says as she gestures to Back-Up who is now running towards them.

"Oh my gosh! He is so cute," Rachel says wide eyed. Veronica laughs at the girl's reaction. People usually say 'huge' or are too stunned to comment.

Back-Up immediately realises that he's been talked about. He lets out a bark and wags his tail happily.

"He's usually not accepting or nice to strangers but he seems to like you," Veronica says as she watches the dog lick Rachel's hand.

"And I love him, he's a cutie pie!" Rachel coos at the dog who eagerly accepts the attention. "Have you decided what songs to sing?" Rachel quizzes the two. They both shake their heads no and Rachel frowns. "Oh," A smile spreads on her face. "If you want I could help you."

Wallace looks relieved because he had no idea what to sing to the girl he had never spoken to before. "That would be awesome!" Rachel smiles happily. "Hey, do you know what you're singing to me?"

"Oh, I have a lot of options, I want to reflect my opinion of you with the most effective song after all you and Veronica are the first friends I have made in Neptune. I assure you that I will make my decision by the end of today."

"Take your time," Wallace jokes.

"What about you Veronica?" Rachel smiles brightly as she reminisces on Duncan's performance. "Duncan seems to be an excellent performer, he does need help with his pitch, I haven't seen his dancing skills as yet but his song selection had shown emotional depth-"

Veronica frowns at Rachel, "Rachel, he's my ex-boyfriend." Veronica didn't know how Duncan suddenly became Mr Emotion when for the past year he's been acting like Mr Robot.

Rachel is clearly surprised. "Oh, I wasn't aware of that."

Wallace and Veronica share a look. Veronica wonders why Rachel is that surprised while Wallace wonders if Rachel Berry is crushing on Duncan Kane.

"Yeah, and considering that he's been ignoring me for the past year I can't particularly sing about what a Prince he is."

Wallace feels the comfortableness once again and says, "So what songs are you considering singing to me?"

Rachel smiles one again and Veronica almost laughed at how easily the girl was able to smile, Veronica remembered when she used to be like that.

"Tsk, Tsk, Wallace, it will most definitely be a surprise," Rachel grins at the boy.

~~Berry Residence~~

"Rachel, sweetie, slow down a second, I can't understand what you're saying," Quinn said as slow as possible.

Rachel pouts but repeats herself. "I have recently discovered that there is a man that has potential to be close to my calibre, he is a very attractive young man, with blue eyes and he's not too tall yet he's not what one would call short. He has lovely blue eyes, if he had blonde hair, I assure you he would have been a part of the master race that Hitler had started to create, called the Aryan race, in-"

Quinn interrupts Rachel before the petite brunette girl began a history lesson on Hitler and the Nazi's. "Rachel! I get it; you're crushing on a hottie, what's the problem?" Quinn had honestly thought Rachel would have something with that surfer guy… So much for Casaberry.

"Well while he has potential to become my leading man, he is the ex-boyfriend of my newly acquainted friend Veronica Mars and I would very much like to pursue our friendship."

Quinn rolled her eyes but she knew that Rachel valued her friendships. That is until it got in the way of her dreams or a solo. "You dated my ex's Finn and Puck," the blonde cheerleader pointed out.

Rachel had a thoughtful look grace her face and then corrected her friend. "Actually I had dated Noah before I knew you had coitus with him and you were dating Finn at the time you and Noah participated in coitu-"

Quinn's nostril's flared at the reminder and interrupted the brunette diva, "Okay Rachel! You dated Puck first." Quinn let out a deep breath. "But I still dated Finn before you did."

Rachel shakes her head and explains, "At the time we were not friends Quinn, you considered me your rival therefore the 'dating rules' did not apply."

Quinn sighs and inquires, "So this guy, how well do you know him?"

"Well I have never spoken to Duncan," Rachel confesses.

Frowning with confusion the blonde asks, "How do you know whether you like him or not?"

"I told you his audition song was remarkable, he had conveyed such unfathomable emotions-"

Quinn quickly stopped Rachel from another analyse. "Okay, okay, look Rachel, there are many guys that you connect with on a musical level. I mean take Finn for example-"

This time Rachel interrupted the cheerleader. "Actually my romantic feelings for Finn developed when I heard him sing," A smile curved onto Rachel's face as a dreamy look settles in her eyes. "We sang 'You're The One That I Want' from Greese. He looked so cute when he had no idea what he's doing…"

Quinn internally shook her head, Finn always had the 'I have no idea what I'm doing' look on his face.

"In that moment I knew that Finn would be my leading man."

_So is this Duncan kid the new Finn for Rachel?_ Quinn frowned.

"Rachel sweetie, do you still love Finn?" Quinn knew that it was best if Rachel moved on but how could she move on if she hadn't let go of her past?

"What? Why would you ask me that?" Rachel asks with confusion as she tilts her head but her eyes replied a 'yes.'

"Oh sweetie," Quinn sighed.

"He told me he loved me you know," Rachel admitted in a soft voice. It had been another reason why she didn't want to move.

"What?" Quinn's eyes grew huge. "When?"

"At Regional's we were about to go on stage and sing 'Faithfully' together," Rachel's eyes started to tear up at the events after that. "And then he just said, 'I love you'."

Rachel's breath hitched as she thought of the events that were the reason her dad and daddy forced her to move to Neptune.

"Rachel, you should get to know the guys there before you jump into a relationship, okay? I don't want you to get hurt because the guy was actually a jerk."

Rachel nods but now her thoughts are clouded with thoughts of her life at McKinley, she missed New Directions. She didn't want to be in this nameless group, she really had to talk to Shelby about that.

~~Monday: Glee~~

"I'd like to go," Veronica announces. Duncan freezes in his seat, he hadn't expected Veronica to be prepared and he hadn't even thought that Veronica would volunteer to sing, especially about him.

Logan doesn't know why but he doesn't like the idea of Veronica singing to her ex-boyfriend. It must be the fact that he has to sing to her while she sings to her ex even if her ex is his best friend. It doesn't seem fair.

Rachel fidgets in her seat, she wonders what Veronica had planned, she just hoped it wasn't a love song. Rachel was actually surprised that the petite blonde beat her in volunteering to sing.

Veronica ignores the whispers and she's sure that more rumours will form but frankly she doesn't give a damn. She's doing this because she's hoping that maybe Lilly might be right. Maybe she'd get to see her blonde best friend again.

"**If I'm a bad person, you don't like me  
Well, I guess I'll make my own way."**

Veronica almost laughed at their faces, _what were they expecting? That I would sing a song about how perfect he was and how I'm just so in love with him? For once I'm actually taking Lilly's advice. Maybe it surprises them that I pointed out his flaws or that he actually has flaws._

_I did nothing wrong yet he just ignored me. He didn't even have the decency to break up with me. Now, I may be classified as a bad person and now he might have a reason to not like me. But last year I was the innocent good girl, and that girl did not deserve his treatment. Either way I don't care anymore. I'm a grown girl who can take care of herself thank you very much._

Logan would have laughed at her song selection if he wasn't so shocked. He didn't expect Veronica to come right out and sing about loving Duncan like others but he didn't expect her to pick a song that would insult Duncan to his face. Veronica Mars has guts and is definitely badass. No one can deny that.

Duncan had not recognized the song and wondered if the song was about their break-up and that she'd thought it was her fault. He hated that he hurt her but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't tell her the truth. He just couldn't. How do you tell the girl you loved that she's your sister? He didn't want her to feel like she was a bad person, if anything she was the best person he knew.  
**  
"It's a circle, a mean cycle  
I can't excite you anymore"**

Veronica never thought that she'd have fun singing this song but she loves the expressions on everyone's face. She looks around trying to spot the person that gave her the push in the first place. A smile spread on her face when she caught a glimpse of her best friend's blonde hair.

Duncan is too embarrassed to make a move or even look away from the petite blonde. This was wrong, his sister was not supposed to sing songs like this about him.

Logan wonders about why Duncan broke up with Veronica, when he had asked, he'd never been given an answer. He now realizes that Veronica does not have even a slight liking to Duncan; that fact makes him slightly relieved for some reason.

"**Where's your gravel? Your jury?"**

Duncan is now plain confused, what is Veronica trying to say?

Logan can't take his eyes of the fiery blonde ball of fire and her energy makes him love this song. He chuckles when she tilts her head and mixes in a bit of confusion in her voice.  
**  
"What's my offence this time?  
You're not a judge but if you're gonna judge me  
Well, sentence me to another life"**

Veronica is now standing in front of Duncan and Logan is beside him. Veronica practically asks Duncan the question and she really does want to know the answer though she's not sure if it will make a difference. Her eyes are hard as she glares, she pushes down the pain she felt when she was punished… punished for what exactly? She didn't know.

Logan's grin fell, she wasn't just talking to Duncan that time, she aimed it at him as well. The playful glint in her eye had fallen and hurt and betrayal set in.

"**Don't wanna hear your sad songs  
I don't wanna feel your pain  
When you swear it's all my fault  
'Cause you know we're not the same"**

Veronica couldn't be any clearer on her feelings. Her voice was tough and loud yet her emotions poured out.

Lilly nodded at Veronica with a sad smile, this needed to be done.

"**No, we're not the same, oh,  
We're not the same"**

Logan agreed that Duncan and her were not the same anymore but he begged to differ when it came to him and Veronica. Perhaps they weren't the same when they used to be friends but now… they were anything but different.

"**Yeah, I've got friends who stuck together  
We wrote our names in blood**"

_The first time Lilly had declared Veronica her best friend was the day they first met. Lilly had poured paint all over the girl that had picked on Veronica. The two girls had quickly developed a friendship._

"_Veronica Mars we are gonna be best friends forever!" A six year old Lilly Kane exclaimed with a huge smile showing of her pearly white teeth._

_Happiness spread though Veronica's laughed as it filled her eyes as well. "Definitely!"_

_And before their lunch break was over Lilly had taken the red paint and wrote, 'Lilly and Veronica BFF's!' on a big rock boulder in the playground._

_Lilly looked at her work of art with pride while Veronica laughed heartily. "It looks like blood!"_

_Lilly grinned. "All the more epic!"_

_The first time Veronica met Duncan they were six and Lilly was seven. "Donut! Get your own bff, Ronica is mine!" Lilly announced as she shoved Duncan away._

"_It's true; she even wrote it on stone!" Veronica laughed._

Tears stung Veronica's eyes but she didn't dare break, she refused to cry no matter how sentimental she felt.

"**But I guess you can't accept that  
The change is good  
It's good, it's good"**

It hadn't only been Duncan that didn't accept Veronica's friendship to Lilly after her death, it was everyone.

Veronica remembered when she changed. It was the day she awoke, alone without her underwear at Shelly's party.

_Tears streamed down Veronica's face as she scrubbed her body as she tried to rid herself of all the disgust she felt with herself._

_She choked out in sobs, the Sherriff hadn't believed her. No one would believe her. And even if they did they would say that she deserved it. The drops of hot water from the shower hit against her body, each drop trying to erase the pain she felt but failing miserably._

_Veronica had opened only the hot water tap, she tried to burn off her disgust but it hadn't worked, the water hadn't been hot enough._

_After what seemed like hours of scrubbing and draining her eyes out Veronica had gotten out of the shower. She looked at herself in her full-body mirror and was revolted at the sight of herself. She was weak. She needed control. She needed to get rid of the girl she used to be. That girl was weak and had been tarnished. With a glare at the mirror, Veronica pulled her draw opened and pulled out a pair of scissor. She vowed to herself that this would be the last time she'd see that girl in her mirror and with that she murdered the Veronica with long blonde locks of golden hair who wore floral and yellow cotton dresses._

The change was definitely good, she was no longer weak or needed anyone to believe her, she found the truth on her own.

"**Well, you treat me just like another stranger"  
**_  
__Mallory and Veronica stood by Duncan's desk. It was her first day of newspaper.__ "Duncan Kane, this is Veronica." Who could blame the teacher for her ignorance when Duncan was the one that set the bars there? He made them strangers to each other. "Veronica's going to be taking pictures tomorrow and I arranged for you to ride with Bodie's parents."  
_  
**"Well, it's nice to meet you sir"**

She brought her hand forward for Duncan to shake but he hadn't moved a muscle, he just stared. She rolled her eyes and smoothed over the back of her hair and moved away from the paralysed boy.

"**I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out"**

"_No, I'll drive." Duncan interjected._

_The journalism teacher smiled. "Great, maybe Veronica can-"_

"_I can drive too." Veronica announced._

_Mallory sighed. "Okay. Oil crisis be damned."_

"**You treat me just like another stranger  
Well, it's nice to meet you sir  
I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out"**

Without missing a beat she continued.

"**Ignorance is your new best friend  
Ignorance is your new best friend"**

_Veronica was walking down the corridor of Neptune High and Duncan had just walked past her, as if she were invisible, at the time it stung her heart like a poisoned arrow._

Logan grinned at her, only Veronica would find a way to insult Logan while singing to Duncan. Veronica's lips curved, she knew that Logan had caught on, yip, Logan Echolls was replaced in the best friend position with a behavioural act. Talk about anti-social.

"**This is the best thing that could've happened  
Any longer, and I wouldn't have made it  
It's not a war, no, it's not a rapture  
I'm just a person, but you can't take it."**

Veronica's eyes bore into Duncan as Logan's eyes pierces her.

"**The same tricks that, that once fooled me  
They won't get you anywhere  
I'm not the same kid from your memory  
Well, now I can fend for myself"**

_A smiling long haired Veronica with dreamy eyes is wearing a knee length denim skirt with a soft pink colour top and a cute pair of shoes. She is replaced with short choppy haired Veronica, her denim skirt is shortened by what could be a small foot with a hot pink coloured top and her feet are covered with leather combat boots, her lips are pressed in a thin line and her eyes are filled with fire._

Lilly smiled proudly at Veronica as she lingers around her brother.

"**Don't wanna hear your sad songs  
I don't wanna feel your pain  
When you swear it's all my fault  
'Cause you know we're not the same  
No, we're not the same, oh,  
No, we're not the same"**

Veronica remembered Duncan's audition, and as much as she would hate to have admitted, her heart broke a little when she realised how damaged he was. In some ways, he was worse than her because he still lingered in the past, he wasn't moving on. Veronica realised that that was why Lilly wanted her to really confront Duncan.

"**Yeah, we used to stick together  
We wrote our name in blood  
But I guess you can't accept that  
The change is good  
It's good, it's good"**

"_The Awe4!" Duncan exclaimed brightly as if his suggestion was the solution to everything._

"_Dude no," Logan gave his best friend a weird look._

"_That's terrible; we are not calling ourselves that!" Lilly grimaced, it sounded like awful._

"_Come on! It's the Awesome Four!" Duncan pouted. "Veronica?" He looked at her for help._

_Veronica shook her head with a funny face, "No, Duncan, just no."_

"_Incredible Four!" Logan smirked, his idea was way better than Duncan's._

"_You stole that from the movies!" Veronica laughed. "The Incredibles meet Fantastic Four!"_

"_Yeah, well you have any ideas princess?" He remarked as he playfully glared at her._

"_Come on guys! We need a name as fabulous as us!" Lilly sighed with frustration._

"_How about Fab4?" Veronica suggested with a slight smile._

"_Oh and that's so much different!" Logan retorted. "It's Fantastic Four with Fabulous instead."_

_Lilly smiled brightly and bounced up. "It's perfect!"_

_Logan scoffed in disbelief, "Oh sure it is because it's Veronica who suggested it!" Veronica stuck her tongue at him, he showed her a monkey face and she giggled._

_Lilly glared at him, "You want it to be Fab2 instead?"_

_Duncan frowned. "Hey, what I'd do?" He protested._

_Lilly shrugged, "He's your bff."_

Lilly had proclaimed that they would forever be known as the Fabulous Four, Fab4 for short but when she was gone, the name went with her and apparently so had the memories.

Now Veronica had new friends, Wallace, Meg, Mac and even Rachel. They may not be the Fabulous for but they were amazing in their own right. They were like a slightly different version of 'The Breakfast Club'; The Athlete, The Princess, The Brain, The Diva, The Outcast.

"**Well, you treat me just like another stranger  
Well, it's nice to meet you sir  
Well, I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out  
You treat me just like another stranger  
Well, it's nice to meet you sir  
Well, I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out"**

Veronica tapped her feet to the beat of the drum. Duncan had a pained expression on his face. Logan looked relieved that Duncan was actually showing emotions, it had been so long since his best friend reacted to anything. The two boys had recently gotten into an argument, as usual Logan had cared too much whilst Duncan hadn't cared enough, at least that was Logan's opinion.

"**Ignorance is your new best friend  
Ignorance is your new best friend  
Ignorance is your new best friend  
Ignorance is your new best friend"**

Veronica swung the guitar around her neck and she rocked out a few chords, she had gone to a few lessons with Lilly, and like the good student she is she learnt something.

"_Ronica! Please," An eight year old Lilly pouted. "She's making me take part in some stupid boring music competition!" Lilly whined. "And I have to go for guitar lessons, please come with me, please Ronica?" She tilted her head and gave a full pout._

_On the first day of their lesson together an eight year old Lilly Kane and a seven year old Veronica Mars had manipulated a thirty-something year old into teaching them rock music instead of country like Celeste had wanted._

_That was the first time Veronica played rock but the two best friends hadn't stopped there, well they did when Lilly reached puberty and started to like boys more than toys. _

"**Well, you treat me just like another stranger  
Well, it's nice to meet you sir  
Well, I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out  
You treat me just like another stranger  
It's nice to meet you sir"**

And with that Lilly smiled with a nod, telling Veronica that she had done the right thing and she faded as Veronica sang out the last line.

"**I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out"**

She was out of breath when she finished, everyone was stunned for a moment at her performance and hadn't known how to react, had she really sung that about Duncan? Mr Prince Charming to every girl?

But before Veronica could breathe in a gulp of air the room roared in applause, except Duncan who still tried to wrap his mind around the new revelation of what Veronica thought about him. Veronica might not have known it but her opinion of him mattered a great deal.

**~~VM~~**

**Song: Ignorance**

**Artist: Paramore**

**Question: Any ideas for the name of their Glee Club?**


	11. You've Got A Friend

**A.N/ I have edited a bit from the previous chapters, nothing major I just corrected bits of information. Though in chapter 5 I have added a scene where Rachel writes in her diary, you can go back and read it if you want.**

**In the Glee Universe: Sam is not in McKinley and therefore is not dating Quinn, I mentioned that they were dating in a previous chapter but I've changed it. Instead Rory Flannigan is the new kid. Sam will feature in this story, so Sam Evans fans don't worry, he'll be a part of my universe because I think he's adorable.**

**This chapter is mostly about Rachel, her past in McKinley and why she had to move. It's revealed while she sings her song to Wallace; I thought it'd be a good way for non-gleeks to get to know Rachel's character. **

~~VM~~Glee~~

"I'd like to go next!" Rachel stated before anyone else had the opportunity. A bright smile lit her face when she stood in the centre of the room and said, "After a vast selection of songs I have chosen to sing 'You've Got A friend', though originally by James Taylor, it was also sung by my icon and role model Barbra Streisand. It is a song that emphasises Wallace's and mine blooming friendship as the song elegantly exhibits the meaning of friendship."

Rachel closed her eyes as she waited for the music to start and when she heard the sweet tune of the piano, her lips curved and she allowed the melodious music to consume her. Music was truly her everything.

"**When you're down and troubled  
And you need some love and care"**

The annoyed looks on her peers faces at her speech instantly fell away the moment her angelic voice radiated through in song. No one had ever heard Rachel Barbra Berry sing before and that was a tragedy because she sounded as if she had fallen from the heavens rather than a small town called Ohio. When Rachel opened her eyes again, you could see the fiery spark that ignited in her as her potent voice compelled the room.

"**And nothing, nothing is goin' right"**

She perfectly expressed the lachrymose feeling that one would experience when they if had a disheartening day.

_It had been the day that they had lost regionals, Quinn had given birth and her mother adopted baby Beth. They had thought that glee club was over but there had been a miracle and Sue Sylvester, of all people, saved New Directions. _

_Then everything had changed in Rachel's life when she walked down the hall of William McKinley High with her head held high and a fearless expression on her face. Before she even reached her locker, the jocks were headed her way with slushy cups in her hand. She knew, she just knew that it was meant for her. _

"_Taste the rainbow glee-itch," Amizon had laughed as he and Karofsky tossed the blue and purple slushies in her face._

_Rachel took a deep breath as the flavoured ice slid down her checks and neck and dripped of her top. She wiped her eyes to clear her vision; getting a slushy facial was nothing new but the sight of her two very shocked and angry fathers in the hall was._

"**Close your eyes and think of me  
And soon I will be there"**

_Her father's soon discovered that this had been a recurring event ever since she started high school. They were not pleased at all._

"_I will not stand by and let my daughter be made a victim throughout her high school life. As a student at this school it is her right to be protected by any means of harassment and for her to feel safe in her surrounding environment. By the barbaric manner of her fellow students, it is obvious that she is not," Hiram said, he was outraged at the laid-back manner of the rules and regulations of the school._

_Mr Figgins tried to do damage control, "Mr Berry, I understand-"_

_Hiram was not having any of his excuses and interrupted, "No, you don't understand. My daughter's life is getting scarred by these shameful hooligans, I can't even call them boys. It sickens me to know that this has been happening for this long and no one has done anything about it."_

"_We are wasting our time here," Leroy stated, he was just as angry as Hiram. He looked at Figgins and said, "It's your job to protect people."_

"_I'm sorry but-"_

_They had heard enough. It was clear that there was nothing the principle could do. _

"_We are having Rachel transferred from this school. This is effective immediately," Hiram stated._

_Rachel's eyes grew in shock. She had sat beside her dads while they argued with principal Figgins but she never thought that they would take such a drastic decision, especially one about her life without even Okaying it with her. Nevertheless she allowed her dads to pull her out of the office but she felt her heart drop. _

Veronica and Wallace were taken aback by Rachel's voice but they wore pleased expressions which made Rachel feel somewhat relieved; they didn't see her as a 'Gleek' or 'Freak.'  
**  
"To brighten up even your darkest night  
You just call out my name  
And you know wherever I am  
I'll come runnin' to see you again"**

_No matter how much their decision hurt her, she knew that they had done it because they loved her. _

_A tear rolled down Rachel's cheekbone and she briskly brushed it away. She stirred in her bed, unable to fall asleep as her future haunted at her._

_She picked up her pink phone and twirled in her fingers for a moment. She then scrolled down her contact lists and stopped at Finn's name. She silently debated on whether or not to call him. She needed to talk to someone who was not an adult. Shelby had agreed with her dads and they seemed adamant on moving out of Lima as well. _

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring_

"_Hello?" Finn's sleepy voice answered in a haze._

_Rachel took in a breath and tried to sound as though she hadn't been crying. "Hey Finn."_

"_Rachel?" Finn's muffled voice said. She heard his bed creak and figured that he must have checked the time. "Rachel? Are you okay? It's like 2 am."_

_Rachel suddenly felt that she couldn't tell Finn. How would he react? She couldn't deal with that now. He had said he loved and now she was about to tell him that she was transferring out of McKinley, and possibly Lima?_

"_I'm sorry," she hurriedly said and cut the call before Finn had a chance to reply. _

_Rachel got out of bed to get a glass of water; water always helped calm her down when she was upset, and of course singing. _

_Rachel had been a bit disappointed when Finn hadn't called her back, she could be dying and he just went back to sleep. The thought made her irate._

_She took out the gold star cup that Shelby had given her and smiled. She finally had a mother, after sixteen years. And she has a sister. It's weird that Beth is her sister and biologically belonging to her Noah and Quinn but she was glad that Beth was with her family and that Quinn and Noah had the option of visiting Beth, an opportunity she hadn't had with her own mother. That is if her fathers don't move out of Lima._

_Rachel really wanted to belt out a dirge but she didn't want to wake her fathers up or get another lawsuit threat from her neighbours so she decided to watch 'Funny Girl'._

_When she got up her phone rang with 'Defying Gravity.' She glanced at the caller ID and saw Finn's name light up. Her breath hitched. He hadn't gone back to sleep._

"_Hey Finn," she greeted and bit her lip nervously._

"_Rachel? Could you open your door? Or your window?" _

_Rachel was stunned. Was Finn outside her house? Actually willing to climb up her window for her? This really was something considering what a klutz he was._

"_Finn, are you outside my house?" She needed him to say it for his implication to really set in._

"_Uh yeah," he coyly replied._

_Rachel opened the door with wide eyes and was met with a concerned pair of brown eyes._

"_Hey," he smiled cautiously as he put his phone down._

"_Hey," Rachel breathed out and moved out of the way to let him in._

"_I-uh-I was worried, it's not like you to call at 2 am or cut the call either and you usually have a lot more to say and I barely get in a sentence so I figured something's wrong," he rambled and Rachel should feel insulted but she was touched that he knew her that well. It was usually true, if she wasn't her talkative self than something had to have been wrong._

_Rachel diverted her eyes as she mumbled, "I didn't mean to make you worried, I just couldn't sleep and for some reason I called you."_

_Finn quirked an eyebrow, he seemed much more awake now; it was probably because of the coldness of the late night/early morning phase. "Some reason?" His voice made Rachel glance at him and when she saw those brown eyes she got sucked into his orbit once again._

"_I don't know why." She knew why. It's because he was Finn and he cared. He cared that she was sad. He cared that she couldn't sleep. He cared that she called. He'd care that she was leaving and that's way it was so difficult to tell him._

_He smiled his silly smile that was the most adorable thing Rachel had ever seen. He moved closer to her and whispered, "I do. It's because you love me too."_

_She felt the words get caught in her throat. "Finn…"_

"_You're everything I never knew I always wanted Rach," Finn whispered softly as he gently brushed his fingers across her cheek. "And I'm so glad that I joined glee club because I got to meet you." They got lost in each other's eyes. _

_Here, it was the boy of her dreams was telling her everything she wanted to hear but she couldn't possibly reciprocate his feelings because she would be gone by the end of summer. _

_Finn smiled gently, "You know, I even love the controlist part in you that wants everything perfect." _

_Rachel's eyes never left his as she corrected him in a whisper, "I'm controlling, controlist isn't a word."_

_Finn chuckled, "I even love when you correct me." He leaned forward, their lips centimetres away when he said, "I love you Rachel Berry, I really do."_

"_Finn…"_

"_And tonight when you couldn't sleep, I was the first person you called because you love me too," When the words passed his lips he crushed his lips against hers._

"**Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall  
All ya have to do is call  
And I'll be there,"**

Rachel's eyes habitually closed shut as tears welled up as it always did when she performed a solo. It didn't necessarily have to be because of the lyrics but because of the depth of emotions she felt and conveyed while she sang.

"_Finn, I'm moving," Rachel said when their kiss broke._

_Finn looked at her with confusion. "What?"_

_She took in a deep breath to gather her courage, this felt much more difficult than she thought it would be. "When Summer's over I won't be coming back to McKinley nor will I be in Ohio."_

_The confusion was now replaced with shock, "What?"_

"_My dads and Shelby thinks it's best if I transfer and my dad got offered a job in California and now he's gonna take it and I have to move with them."_

"_Why?" _

_She could see his heart breaking and her heart broke along with his. "My dads saw Karofsky and Amizon slushy me," she admitted. They all went through it and because it became a norm for the glee clubbers it seemed like a trivial thing to transfer over but that's the only thing they knew and therefore didn't realise the abuse they really went through. "They are very protective and see it as abuse."_

"_Karofsky and Amizon?" Finn gritted through his teeth and clenched his fists._

_Rachel noticed Finn's angry tone; she knew that he would pick a fight with them. "Finn, don't do anything stupid, it's not gonna change anything."_

"_Rachel you can't leave," his sad and pleading voice made Rachel wish that she could abide by his words._

_She meekly shook her head and tears threatened to spill out of her big brown eyes. "I don't have a choice," she whispered in a heart-wrecking sob._

"_Rachel…"_

"_Finn, please just promise me you'll leave it be?"_

"**You've got a friend, you've got a friend."**

Her eyelids fluttered up but she seemed to be consumed in by the thoughts of the boy that she left behind. She blamed Quinn for bringing him up; she was perfectly fine with falling in a crush with Veronica's ex rather than pining over her own ex.

"**If the sky above you grows dark  
And full of clouds  
And that old North wind begins to blow.  
Keep your head together  
And call my name out loud  
And soon you'll hear me knocking at your door"**

_When she had informed the glee club about her situate they had been stricken with shock and had tried to convince her to stay but she wasn't the one that needed convincing it was her fathers but Rachel didn't want to upset her fathers any more than they already were so she didn't allow her friends to speak with them._

"_You don't have to move Rachel, we can protect you," Brittany softly said with sadness echoing in her voice._

"_Yeah, we can form like a protective bearer around you like the CIA," Mick said, he might not have been friends with Rachel but he didn't want her to leave._

"_Or I can smash my fists in their face," Puck gritted as he shoot up from his seat, ready for a fight. Finn seemed to agree with his best friend's method and got up to follow him._

_Rachel grabbed Puck's arm and pleaded, "Noah, please, just sit down, okay? Getting in a fight will not change anything other than get you and Finn expelled." She sighed. "It's really my fault for hiding this from them. Honesty, Respect and Dance have been the Berry motto but I've defied that. I've been dishonest by withholding the truth and I've allowed myself to be disrespected. I'm sorry but this is what my dads want and I don't wish to disappoint nor do I want to argue with them again."_

"_Rachel…" Quinn dragged out unsure of what to say._

"_We're a family, we can-" Will started, Rachel was his star, she couldn't leave._

_Rachel sent him a regretful look. "I'm sorry Mr Shue but they've already decided."_

"_Where are you moving to?" Mercedes questioned in a soft voice. _

"_California, there's a town called Neptune."_

"_Does that mean we'll be competing against you for National's?" Kurt's eyes grew wide a he asked her that question._

_Rachel smiled ruefully and for the first time she had a spark in her eyes since the news of her transfer. "I'm banking on it."_

"**You just call my name  
And you know wherever I am  
I'll come runnin' runnin' runnin'  
runnin' to see you again  
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall  
All ya have to do is call  
And I'll be there, yes I will"**

Wallace liked Rachel's song choice and he hoped that their friendship really did bloom like she said it would. But the song reminded him of his friendship with Veronica.

He hadn't even known her name the first time she helped him out by cutting him of that flagpole. He knew that no matter what, where or when she would be there for him.

_Weevil had headed straight toward him and said, "My bitch. Weren't you supposed to wait for me at the flagpole? I'm not sure I could have made that any clearer." _

_Wallace had taken a deep breath and let out a nervous chuckle and said, "Okay, I get it, a'right. Very funny. I guess we're even now. Right?"_

Weevil's voice was full of aggression when he threaten, "You get what boy? You get that you're a dead man walking, is that what you get?"

"Leave him alone," Veronica calmly stated. She seemed unfazed by his presence.

Wallace smiled at Veronica and she let a smile break through her own features as well.

"_So you want to get the PCH Biker Club off your ass?" Veronica grinned._

Wallace gave her a genuine smile to his fearless best friend. Veronica shot him a quizzing look, she somehow picked up that there was a reason for his smile but instead of asking she returned his smile.

"**Now ain't it good to know  
That you've got a friend"**

Logan caught the interaction between the two BFFs and felt a longing in his heart. He didn't have that relationship with anyone now, he used to have it when he was in the Fab4 but now Lilly was gone, Duncan was trapped in his own world, and Veronica… He lost Veronica when he made her choose. And when Veronica smiled at Wallace it was almost like the girl he'd been friends with was there. He couldn't believe how much she had changed. He knew she got tougher and he was proud but he didn't mean for her to lose hope… He never wanted that.

Meg glanced at Veronica, she had been there for her through the entire purity test fiasco and Meg truly appreciated. If Veronica hadn't helped her, she might have been sent to a Catholic school. Her eyes flickered to Logan and she saw him watch Veronica. She tilted her head curiously and wondered if it was possible for their friendship to be renewed, it there was a possibility Meg would help make it happen. She remembered the once upon a time in their story and she knew that if Veronica had that again maybe she'd be less vengeful.  
**  
"When people can be so cold  
They'll hurt you yes and desert you"**

Veronica's smile faded as she remembered her past. Her once best friends had been cold, they had hurt her and they had deserted her.

Logan hated that those words made Veronica's smile disappear, it wasn't often that she'd smile and he hated it even more to know that it disappeared because of him. He never realised that his actions had caused her to change that much, he hadn't realised it until she'd said that her dad was the only reason she was still alive. And that scared him.

Rachel's voice was still strong but it held pain. She had known what it was like to not have friends. Before Mr Shuester could become the director of glee club in Rachel was alone with no friends. Tina, Mercedes, Artie and Kurt may have been the first people to be in glee along with herself but they hadn't been her friend. Sure, they cleaned slushies' off of each other but that was about it. They didn't invite her to go shopping or have sleep overs or even talk to her much. Rachel Barbra Berry was a loner until Mr Shue got Finn to join.****

"And take your soul if you let them  
Oh but don't let them"

Even though Rachel had bullied for majority of her schooling life she never let it get her down because she had a dream – more of an ambition. She was going to become a star, not just any star but a Broadway star. To Rachel, the reason no one liked her is because they felt overpowered by her determination, ambition and talent.

The only people that liked her in glee during the course of the year were Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman. Though over time she had become friends with her fellow glee clubbers… Granted it was over the summer just before she could leave but nevertheless she had their friendships. And Rachel was proud of herself for forming friendships with the girls that were meanest to her.

Quinn Fabray was the HBC; her number one high school rival had turned into one of her best friends. The two girls were complete opposites. Quinn was the pretty blonde head cheerleader that was dating the quarterback of the football team; Finn Hudson. Rachel was the petite brunette 'Queen of Gleeks' that wanted to date Finn Hudson; her male lead. It was love at first note, as soon as Rachel heard Finn sing, she fell head over heels for the tall football/basketball player/male lead singer.

Their rivalry was inevitable and it started before Rachel's crush on Quinn's boyfriend.

As their story proceeds Finn, the charismatically charming Prince falls for the ambitious and passionate pauper. That was until he found out the ice queen (Quinn Fabray) was pregnant – as the loyal and moral guy he is, he stuck by Quinn's side.

It was a surprising turn of events when the biggest badass in all of Lima history took an interest in her, Rachel Berry. Yes, Noah 'Puck' Puckerman had wanted to date her, Rachel Barbra Berry because she was a 'hot Jewish American Princess' and he was a 'hot Jewish American badass.' Their relationship inevitably fell apart as he had feeling for his best friends (Finn Hudson) girlfriend (Quinn Fabray) and she had feelings for Finn. Even though Noah had at the time refused to proclaim them friends; that was the moment they started becoming friends.

They had gotten closer when her mother adopted his and Quinn's baby – yes, Quinn had cheated on Finn with his best friend Puck. Rachel didn't like to think of the baby-gate incident because it was over and everyone had moved passed it. Finn and Noah had become best friends again and Quinn had made peace with both the boys.

Anyway the fact was that Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman had been continuously in touch with her due to the fact that their baby was now her baby sister. And it had brought them closer.

Another close friend to Rachel is Kurt Hummel – he admitted that their rivalry for solos is what kept them from seeing how similar they were and how much potential they have at being best friends. Now that their competitions were out of the way they are able to see each other as respectable artists and friends.

As for Finn Hudson – He held a place in Rachel's heart but she had not spoken to him since she moved to Neptune yet there was a longing in her that wished he'd call. But she understood that it was painful for him to let her go as it was for her.

If it weren't for her dads she would still be at McKinley. She would have fought with all her might and they would never have been able to take down Rachel Barbra Berry because she was a fighter.

It was classic cartoon, only Rachel Berry could befriend her enemies.

"**You just call my name  
And you know wherever I am  
I'll come runnin' runnin' runnin'  
runnin' to see you again  
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall  
All ya have to do is call  
And I'll be there, yes I will, yes I will  
You've got a friend, you've got a friend"**

Dick was absolutely stunned in his seat. He'd never heard someone sing so beautifully, he'd never been mesmerized by anyone before. It was like her voice put him in a trance that only allowed him to focus on her. He felt her words. He felt shivers and goose bumps on his arms. _Shit, I think I'm crushing on Rachel freaking Berry! _He sat wide-eyed and just watched her sing with tears glistening in her eyes.

"**Ain't it good to know  
Ain't it good to know  
Ain't it good to know  
Ain't it good to know"**

The purity, passion and powerful strength in her voice were prodigious. She always cried when she sang a solo, she was just an emotional person who was deeply connected to her music.  
**  
"You've got a friend  
You've got a friend"**

Throughout the song Rachel had managed to keep a smile on her face. Her eyes glistened but the fiery feel was clearly visible.

After a moment of stunned silent the crowd burst into applause. Rachel smiled brightly with a pleased look on her face as she took in their applause. Rachel loved the applause and roars; she's like Tinkerbell she needed applause to live that's why no matter what anyone does or says she'd always be okay as long as she has music and that wonderful sound of applause.

"That was amazing, Rachel," Shelby smiled with pride and joy as the petite brunette smiled in acceptance and looked with sparkling eyes of joy.

No matter what the song, Rachel always felt a sense of accomplishment when she successfully belted out a song or performed.

The song had really touched Wallace; with a bright smile he hugged Rachel. "That was awesome!" He looked at her with wide bright eyes which made Rachel feel her smile only widening with each compliment she received. She was happy that Wallace liked her song selection, not that she doubted it but it was nice to get the appreciation she deserved.

Madison fumed Rachel. "I guess now I know why you dress like Pippi Longstockings," Madison remarked with the 'I'm-better-than-you' attitude. "You use the bright coloured stockings and horrid floral dresses to distract them from your screeching voice."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Veronica countered innocently with a lifted eyebrow. "Because the only screeching I hear is the sound of your nails trying to keep your green eyes at bay."

Rachel was surprised at Veronica's defence of her though it made her feel special. It made her feel accepted.

"Madison doesn't have green eyes," Susan frowned, she though Veronica was smart.

"She means green eyed monster aka jealousy," Carrie whispered to her friend.

Shelby watched the girls and decided that it would be best if she defused the situation sooner rather than later. "Madison, if you think you're better, how about you sing your song."

Madison smirked, "With pleasure." She strutted forward as she indicated for her back up to join her. Shelly and Susan tag along but Carrie remained seated with a bored expression.

"I have never envied the deaf more than now," Logan mumbled with a sigh. Veronica heard his remark and silently agreed.

**~~VM~~**

**Song: You've Got A Friend  
Artist: Barbra Streisand**


End file.
